Youth groups slam red-tagging, military visits in Panay

By Juliane Judilla

Human rights and youth organizations in Western Visayas have condemned what they describe as ongoing harassment, red-tagging, and military surveillance of a known environmental advocate and her sister.

The Western Visayas Youth and Students Alliance, Pamatan-on Kontra Kurapsyon (PAKK), and the OIKOS Ecological Movement said members of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Civil Military Operations Regiment have repeatedly visited the family home of “Alek” (surname withheld), a PAKK member and Panay coordinator of OIKOS.

According to the groups, soldiers approached the siblings’ parents in an attempt to convince them to “clear” the names of their daughters, allegedly insinuating that the two were linked to revolutionary organizations.

In a statement, PAKK denounced the visits and red-tagging attempts as a “blatant effort to suppress student activism,” noting that such actions are often carried out under the government’s whole-of-nation approach to counterinsurgency.

“Pamatan-on Kontra Kurapsyon vehemently condemns the series of harassment incidents against students by state forces — a desperate ploy to malign the massive youth movement!” the group said.

PAKK also criticized what it called the government’s skewed budget priorities, citing the proposed PHP 411.48 billion allocation for the Department of National Defense in the 2026 National Expenditure Program.

In contrast, the group pointed to a PHP 12.3 billion deficit in funding for the free tertiary education program from 2022 to 2025.

“This abandonment of the government’s duty to the youth has forced state universities and colleges to cut down on costs and student intake, yet billions continue to be lost to corruption — money borne out of people’s hard work,” the group said.

PAKK also cited unresolved corruption allegations, including controversial flood-control projects flagged for alleged irregularities.

Despite public outrage, the group said, no officials have been held accountable.

“Instead, subpoenas, harassment, and other efforts to silence the youth’s dissent have become the state’s response — and it speaks volumes about their priorities,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines Visayas-OIKOS Ecological Movement likewise condemned the military’s actions, calling red-tagging an attack not only on individuals but on the broader democratic rights of young people.

“Red-tagging is an attack on free thought, on the right to organize, and on the democratic space of the youth,” the group said.

“With every act of harassment, they only further prove why people like Alek are urgently needed: brave, aware, and ready to stand up,” it added.

“Stop the intimidation and human rights violations. Restore respect for the rights of the people. And above all, reallocate funds from militarization toward education, environmental protection, and genuine public service,” the group emphasized.

Alek is a vocal environmental advocate and a convenor of the Fisherfolk and Environment Advocates Network, which earlier launched a petition challenging the Supreme Court’s Mercidar ruling.

The controversial decision allows commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters — areas traditionally reserved for small-scale and subsistence fishers.