MANILA, Philippines — Two Cagayan de Oro journalists are among the personalities targeted in anti-communist propaganda, prompting the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines to call on authorities on Wednesday to make sure the people who were red-tagged are protected from harassment and attacks.
In a statement, NUJP said flyers targeting Mindanao Gold Star Daily associate editor Leonardo Vicente "Cong" Corrales, MindaNews journalist Froilan Gallardo, human rights lawyer Beverly Musni and other personalities were sent to Iglesia Filipina Independiente priest Rolando Abejo and a Cagayan de Oro city hall employee by courier.
Abejo and the city hall employee had also been red-tagged earlier.
NUJP said the flyer targeting Corrales came from a "Black Mamba" of the "MAT-NMR Press Club" and claimed there is a P1-million bounty for the journalist's death . The material also made the "totally false claim" that Corrales is facing a rape with murder charge involving a child, the group said.
Corrales told NUJP he might have been targeted because of a column he had written on the treatment received by Higaonon evacuees from Lagonglong town in Misamis Oriental when they went to Cagayan de Oro to seek help from the provincial government.
Corrales, a former director of NUJP, had also been previously accused in flyers of having links to the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army, an allegation he has categorically denied.
"Let it be known that we will stand by Board Member Corrales as we call on the authorities to investigate this red-tagging and ensure that media personalities be spared from this accusation," the Cagayan de Oro Press Club said in a statement in February in response to the tagging, which also included his wife and son.
Interview with NPA members
A flyer intended for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente priest also included a list of organizations and personalities supposedly linked to communist rebels. Gallardo was on the list.
Gallardo might have been targeted because he had interviewed the New People’s Army about a raid in which they seized weapons from security guards of a power corporation, NUJP noted.
The sender of the materials was identified as Danilo Tirso Mantangan of Sitio Camansi, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental.
“We hold that the reason the red-tagging, particularly of Cong, has worsened to actually turn potentially deadly is because of the apparent lack of interest of local government and security units to protect those so threatened and to go after and prosecute those responsible for this clearly dangerous vilification,” NUJP said.
Philippine jurisprudence defines red-tagging as “the act of labelling, branding, naming and accusing individuals and/or organizations of being left-leaning, subversives, communists or terrorists (used as) a strategy... by State agents, particularly law enforcement agencies and the military, against those perceived to be ‘threats’ or ‘enemies of the State.’”
NUJP added “it is almost a certainty that, unless contained, the threats to Cong, Froilan and other journalists who have been targeted by the cowards who hide behind these shadowy groups and names could escalate.”
It added: “While we are grateful that, so far, no harm has befallen our colleagues who have been targeted by this cowardly campaign, we note that as much cannot be said for the officers and members of other organizations so targeted who have been unjustly jailed, attacked, even killed.”
According to a report of various media groups, there were 128 cases of attacks and threats against the Philippine press from June 30, 2016 to April 30, 2019. At least 12 journalists were killed since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office.
The Philippines placed 134th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders with a score of 43.91. In 2018, the country ranked 133rd.
Fatal 'red-tagging' in Negros Oriental
Senators at a hearing on Tuesday into a string of killings in Negros Oriental told the regional police office of the Central Visayas to look into the deaths of people previously identified in anti-communist flyers as rebel supporters.
Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa called for an investigation after learning that five of 15 people tagged as supporters of the New People’s Army in flyers earlier distributed by group Kawsa Guihulnganon Batok Komunista (Kagubak) had been killed.
Among those killed was human rights lawyer Anthony Trinidad, who was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding assailants last month.
Trinidad and others on the list had approached police to clear their names and seek protection but none was given to the lawyer.
"One-third of the names in the list had been killed. This confirms the hit list of Kagubak is real. Not investigating this would be an outrage," Hontiveros said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"This committee demands the Police Regional Office 7 to account for the 10 living persons on the list when you get home. Make sure they are still alive," Dela Rosa, chair of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico