Victims of red-tagging, militarization appeal for help
“Mga magsasaka lang kami. Bakit kami nire-redtag, hinaharas, at pinapasuko? Mga magsasaka kami na nagdedepensa sa mga lupang sakahan at tirahan namin (We are just farmers. Why are we being red-tagged, harassed and subjugated? We are farmers defending our farm lands and homes).”
These were the words of the victims of red-tagging and militarization as they appealed and asked for help on Sunday, March 27.

On the third day of the week-long regional “Caravan of Landless in Bicol,” relatives and victims of red-tagging appealed to fellow Bicolnon presidential aspirant and Vice President (VP) Leni Robredo to help reprimand erring officials of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) that have been “maliciously red-tagging individuals and organizations.”
The caravan, according to peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), will be held until March 30, and will traverse the provinces of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte. It will also cover 41 municipalities and five cities in Bicol as well as one municipality in Quezon Province.
Meanwhile, KMP highlighted that red-tagging is “often a prelude to more vicious rights violations.”
“Red-tagging is very dangerous and could lead to rights abuses, illegal arrest and detention, militarization of entire communities, and even political killings. We demand a stop to red-tagging that was weaponized by the NTF-ELCAC to attack the civilian population,” said KMP in a statement.
The peasant group likewise denounced the “ongoing militarization” in Barangay Concepcion Grande amid the election season.
“Since March 21, an estimate of 50 uniformed and non-uniformed state forces encamped in Sitio Balatungan, Barangay Concepcion Grande, Naga City and are causing widespread terror and distress among residents,” added KMP.
Various mass organizations, including Anakpawis and Makabayan Partylists, have filed their complaint against erring NTF-ELCAC officials. KMP, on the other hand, expressed their intention to file a lawsuit before March 2022 ends.