Youth groups protest KKDAT ordinance in Iloilo

By Juliane Judilla

Youth organizations and student leaders staged a picket protest outside the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Feb. 12 to oppose the planned institutionalization of Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo in the province.

The protest coincided with a KKDAT orientation during the first regular session of the Panlalawigang Pederasyon ng Sangguniang Kabataan of Iloilo following the passage of Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-345.

The ordinance institutionalizes KKDAT within the Sangguniang Kabataan structure in Iloilo province and was authored and sponsored by board member Esara Aldeguer Javier.

The ordinance seeks to make KKDAT part of provincial youth programs.

However, the Western Visayas Youth and Students Alliance said the program has been linked to red-tagging and intimidation of young people, including student leaders, campus journalists, issue-based organizations and even Sangguniang Kabataan officials.

In a unity statement circulated among youth councils, organizations and student leaders in Iloilo, the alliance said it opposes the program’s expansion in the province.

The alliance warned that formalizing KKDAT could foster fear among young people and shrink civic spaces that have long been active in Iloilo.

“Red-tagging has no place in Iloilo. The safety of Ilonggo youth is non-negotiable,” the statement read.

The statement said labeling youth groups and leaders as “terrorists” or “enemies of the state” for participating in advocacy or questioning policies is “dangerous, unconstitutional, and unacceptable.”

The alliance also said KKDAT and other state security forces have conducted school forums and community dialogues warning students against joining groups such as Anakbayan, the League of Filipino Students and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, which it said state forces have described as “front organizations” for revolutionary groups.

The protesters also questioned funding for the rollout of KKDAT chapters and urged the youth federation to prioritize measures that directly address youth welfare, including a proposed Students’ Rights and Welfare Ordinance.

“Instead of pushing a program that has a track record of attacking the youth, our Sangguniang Kabataan should instead push for ordinances that uphold the rights of the youth,” said Arlie Bosque of Kabataan Party-list Panay.

The alliance said youth empowerment programs should remain people-led, developmental and rooted in human rights.