By: Sabina Socorro
Red-tagging, a trademark of the Duterte administration, is an abusive tool used to cling to power through the silencing of voices and ostracizing of individuals.
More often than not, it is members of the University of the Philippines (UP) community that are subjected to this kind of state violence and coercion. The red-tagging spree against the UP community peaked in January this year when military and police were prevented from entering the campus without prior notice. This came after the controversial release on social media platforms of UP alumni falsely tagged as armed communist rebels.
In response to this political harassment, the faculty, staff, and students have gathered together to condemn red-tagging and make collective calls for the protection of academic freedom in UP and all other educational institutions.
Last September 23, UP held a virtual public consultation with professors and academic staffs, where discussions centered around red-tagging and the recent passing on the third reading of the House Bill 10171 which seeks to institutionalize the UP-DND accord — the accord that safeguards students’ and staffs’ rights to academic freedom as well as their rights to peaceful protest within campus grounds.
“Given the incessant red-tagging and other attacks on UP constituents, we commend the passing on third reading of House Bill 10171, which institutionalizes the UP-DND Accord in the UP Charter. We strongly urge the Senate to fast track its passage into law on their own end,” UP Professor Francisco Jayme Paolo Guiang of Contend-UP mentioned.
Additionally, attendees of the forum shared their accounts of red-tagging against members of the UP community, with the All-UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) Cebu Chapter President recalling and describing his own encounter with state agent written death threats.
This rogue red-tagging and harassment against UP and its constituents peaked in January of this year when Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana abrogated the UP-DND Accord. It was at this same time when Major Generals Benedicto Arevalo and Alex Luna were tied to the social media controversy in which a list of UP alumni was libelously published, accusing these individuals of being armed communist rebels.
Recently, Atty. Larry Gadon joined the party of red-taggers. The disgraced lawyer falsely accused UP professors and teaching staff as “communist-paid” in an interview last September 24, Friday.
Gadon, who is a known Marcos loyalist and aspiring senatorial candidate under Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) slate, baselessly claimed that UP educators “survive” by teaching two to three subjects only because they are getting paid by National Democratic Front (NDF).
Last September 27, Monday, CONTEND-UP issued a statement condemning Gadon’s unsupported accusations. Contrary to Gadon’s “rant”, the organization clarified that UP faculty commonly shoulder 12 units of teaching load, or four subjects every semester, as the UP administration requires them to “produce substantial research and creative output.” The group also dismissed the lawyer’s baseless statements as “pathetic attempts” to generate media attention.
Despite the attacks, the UP community remains courageous and continues the battle against state-sponsored red-tagging. Indeed, the fight for academic freedom and freedom of expression never stops, not just for UP, but for all academic institutions alike.
Students are not rebels. They are young individuals learning how to best make their mark in the world. So long as the Duterte administration continues to punish and taint the names of students and faculty, who raise their voice to injustice and keep grounded on their principles, the mark these individuals will leave is not that of their hopes and dreams, but of their blood, spilled and soiled by the state.
Featured image by CONTEND UP
