THE League of Filipino Students-Bacolod strongly condemned the red-tagging committed by the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army in Negros.
RJ Ledesma, League of Filipino Students - Bacolod Chair in a statement over the weekend stated that they are reacting to the Brigade’s Facebook posts featuring a collage of photos taken during the SONAgKAISA rally last July 27 at the Bacolod Public Plaza.
The activity was attended by various progressive groups, calling for the junking of the Anti-Terrorism Law and a more comprehensive government approach to the Covid-19 pandemic among other concerns
The photos, which bear the League of Filipino Students logo, were originally published by LFS-Bacolod on their Facebook page. In the photos, 12 people are clearly visible, 9 of whom are members of LFS - Bacolod and three are members of Bacolod Youth Alliance, a local coalition of youth activists.
Ledesma said the first post was made by the Facebook account “Brown Eagle,” which also claims it is the official Facebook page of the 303rd Infantry Brigade. The post stated, “Kabataang tinaguriang Pag Asa nang Bayan, Sariling Gobyerno kinalaban!” The second post, which was on the 303rd Infantry Brigade official page stated, “SONAGKAISA NANG MGA VIRUS NA TERRORISTA!!”
Ledesma narrated that SONAgKAISA was a series of protests attended by various groups throughout the country held on the day of President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address.
LFS-Bacolod’s statement went on to say, “[Duterte and the AFP-PNP] are clearly threatened and afraid of the growing youth and student movement that can be seen in the various successful mobilizations conducted nationwide, more predominantly the recent SONAgkakaisa mobilization.”
LFS-Bacolod stressed the dangers of these posts in their statement saying, “Red-tagging puts the safety and security of the members under threat, and this has long been used by the mercenary state forces to rationalize further harassment and even outright killings. This is a chilling precedent to what is yet to come when the Anti-Terrorism Law is fully implemented.”
LFS-Bacolod also pointed out that they are recognized as a legal youth organization who are being wrongfully red-tagged. Their statement continues, “The League of Filipino Students is a legal and a democratic mass organization with a long history of struggle with the students, the youth and the Filipino masses for national democracy and genuine liberation," their statement further stated.