07/10/2026
STATEMENT OF THE CAS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON INCIDENTS OF RED-TAGGING STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Executive Committee stands in solidarity with the students and faculty members of the UP Rural High School (UPRHS) and the Department of Humanities (DHum) in strongly condemning the recent red-tagging incidents by individuals associated with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). We condemn in the strongest terms possible the malicious vilification of our students who participated in the UP Day of Remembrance at UPRHS and of faculty members who produce scholarship, creative work, and instructional materials that contain critical interpretation of historical facts.
We express grave concern about the seemingly coordinated red-tagging of UPLB constituents, particularly those from CAS, by elements of NTF-ELCAC. In Lorraine Badoyโs FB post on September 21, Dr. Reynele Bren Zafra from the DHum was red-tagged because of his textbook containing a reading activity on the article โKawalan ng trabaho sa Pilipinas, nagtulak kay Mary Jane Veloso na mangibang bansa โ Gabrielaโ by Pher Pasion. Badoy and a certain โEmjay Chicoโ then red-tagged UPRHS on October 1 after the schoolโs student publication, The Ruralite, posted about the activity held at the school as part of the UP Day of Remembrance on September 21. A few days later, Badoy red-tagged Asst. Prof. Tristโn Buenaflor of UPRHS, accusing him as an instigator of the rally. Asst. Prof. Buenaflor was previously red-tagged when he shared a post in another social media platform. Months before, UPLB Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Janette Silva, who is an associate professor from DHum, and other UPLB officials were also red-tagged by the anonymous โUPLB Perspective Exposedโ FB account. The same account continuously endangers UPLB students and alumni by identifying them as members of the New Peopleโs Army (NPA). This systematic attack on members of the academic community has been haunting UPLB for so long. In early 2000s, under the Oplan Bantay Laya I and II, other faculty members from DHum were victims of black propaganda, accusing them of recruiting students to join NPA.
Red-tagging has no place in a democratic society. It is a cowardly attempt to silence dissent, suppress critical thinking, and curtail our rights to freedom of expression. Red-tagging has the goal of intimidation and harassment, labelling individuals who are critical of the government and its agencies as โterroristsโ. This, in turn, brings real danger to those who were โred-tagged,โ their physical safety and mental well-being jeopardized. Red-tagging is anti-democratic as it attempts to discourage genuine critique, thereby constricting democratic spaces. Consequently, such an act plunges us into living in fear. It is anti-intellectual, threatening the very core function of an educational institution to provide a safe space for a free exchange of ideas, targeting thinking and socially engaged academics to cower into submission.
The CAS maintains that the participation in the UP Day of Remembrance of our high school students is an exercise of their constitutionally protected rights to assemble and freely express their views. There should be no prescribed age for developing discernment about political and social issues; individuals can engage with and form meaningful judgments about these issues at different stages of life. We take comfort in the fact that our UPRHS students have learned to exercise their constitutional rights, and they are not afraid to speak up against social injustices. The CAS will continue to ensure that democratic spaces are protected for our students, faculty members, and staff.
To this end, we call on the University to take concrete steps in implementing the Safe Haven Resolution. It should not abandon its constituents who fall victims to the damaging act of red-tagging in the guise of a discourse on child protection. Instead, it should actively defend its constituents by extending legal assistance, ensuring physical safety, and providing psychosocial support services to affected members of the UPLB community. It is high time for the University to establish clear protocols in responding to red-tagging incidents.
The CAS Execom also demands an immediate end to the systematic red-tagging, harassment, and public vilification of our faculty members, staff, and students by Badoy, Chico and other elements of NTF-ELCAC. We urge the University to assist its constituents who were targeted by this villainous red-tagging in taking the necessary legal remedy to hold the red-taggers accountable. This act will demonstrate the Universityโs firm, uncompromising stance against red-tagging. We likewise enjoin all sectors of society to stand in solidarity with us in defending democratic rights, upholding academic freedom, and standing firm against all forms of political repression.
STOP RED-TAGGING!
HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS!
DEFEND ACADEMIC FREEDOM!
