DAVAO CITY - The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has reported that the local station of ABS-CBN in Barangay Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City received three funeral wreaths after a noise barrage against the network's shutdown was staged by the station's employees and supporters.
In a statement, the NUJP Western Mindanao Safety Office said the wreaths were sent to the station at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The funeral wreaths had ribbons bearing the messages “Ibalik ang ABS-CBN! Isulong and digmaang bayan!” (Bring back ABS-CBN! Support the nationalist war!)" were written.
Members of organizations including the NUJP, the National Union of People’s Lawyers-Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, Bayan, Anakbayan, Kadamay, and the League of Filipino Students were also written on it, along with the calls "Mabuhay ang PKP-Bagong Hukbong Bayan (Long live PKP-Bagong Hukbong Bayan)."
The NUJP said "security guards at the station said the delivery service personnel told them that the people who paid for the wreaths did not identify themselves."
"No person or group has come forward to claim responsibility for the wreaths," it said.
The group said the delivery of the wreaths "appeared to be part of a coordinated red-tagging operation, with a fake Facebook account named Kim Chuy, which has regularly red-tagged people and organizations, posting a spoof of the poster announcing the noise barrage."
"The fake poster also linked the protest to the rebels and red-tagged the same groups named in the wreaths," it added.