A broad alliance of youth organizations, student councils, and human rights defenders in Mindanao established a new network on July 9 to combat intensifying political persecution, Red-tagging, and violent harassment under the reactionary regime. They formed the Hands Off Mindanao Youth Activists Network.
The youth described the newly established alliance as a “masuklanong pagtubag,” Bisaya for collective resistance. The alliance was formed after the Philippine National Police (PNP) Cateel Municipal Police Station released on May 27 a “wanted poster” on its Facebook page containing the names of activists and human rights defenders, mostly youth. The police poster included students and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao and leaders of national-democratic youth organizations on the list. The victims are not facing any formal charges, indictments, or warrants, and only learned of the post through their colleagues. Although later removed, the post was a threat to the security and safety of those named, as well as their families and organizations.
“The establishment of the Hands Off Mindanao Youth Activists Network is a declaration that the youth will continue to stand together in defense of our rights, our communities, and our future,” Allyssa Ancheta, alliance lead convenor, said. “It embodies our masuklanong pagtubag—our determined and collective response—to the violence and repression that seek to silence us.”
The Red-tagging by the Cateel police is not an isolated mistake but part of a broader, systematic attack by the regime to silence critics, student leaders, environmental defenders, and farmers in the region, the alliance said. The group said the state uses existing security policies to treat the legitimate right of the people to freedom of expression as a threat to national security.
The series of harassments did not end with the Cateel incident. On July 13, posters and flyers which Red-tag progressive groups were seen around major universities in Davao City, including the University of Southeastern Philippines-Obrero. The defamatory materials bore the signature of the “Davao Youth Alliance Against Terrorism,” a suspicious group that suddenly emerged with no known members or official online presence.
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Atty. Renee Co strongly condemned the incident. She called the intimidation and black propaganda a dirty state tactic, and a waste of funds that should otherwise be allocated to providing quality education for the youth. The Kabataan Partylist-Southern Mindanao Region asserted that such attacks are a direct threat to the human rights and lives of youth fighting government corruption.
“This is not an isolated case,” the group said in a statement. “These pattern of attacks is part of the fascist state’s campaign in vilifying people’s partylists, and progressive organizations by labeling them as terrorist, to sow fear among people to discourage dissent, and justify intense surveillance and harassment.”
The youth maintained that they will not be intimidated despite the threats to their lives. They called on academic institutions, churches, and the broader public to stand in solidarity to defend human rights, civil liberties, and assert democratic space in the country.
