Red-tagged redux

WHILE I understand that part of the winning the hearts and minds of the people is the “unmasking” of supposed enemies of the state, red-tagging members of mainstream media are counter-productive. It doesn’t serve the agenda of the whole length of the political spectrum. It only antagonizes the fourth estate against state and non-state actors.

Red-tagging members of the media blur the distinctive line between civilians and combatants in the conduct of the ongoing war between government and rebel forces.

I denounce being even remotely considered as an active combatant. Again, I am an unarmed civilian. I write news and op-ed pieces. That’s what I do. Before I came to be a journalist, I used to work with non-government organizations. My work there did not involve any rifles, too. It required only words and conversations.

I am not, have never been, and never will be a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ New People’s Army.

About a fortnight ago, I found myself, and colleague Froilan Gallardo listed again as being part of the armed insurrection to topple down the government. Like the other red-tagging incidents since February this year, the word ridiculous does not even begin to describe the contents of one red-tagging flyer.

However, the cowardly people behind this new spate of red-tagging incidents have upped their ridiculousness. It maliciously and falsely linked me to an alleged rape and murder case supposedly docketed under criminal case 2006-2802 before the “Surigao Regional Trial Court Branch 01-1.” This was the reason, the flyer alleged, why I supposedly joined the New People’s Army. The group, “Black Mamba Mat-NMR Press Club Chapter,” placed a bounty for my death at P1 million.

Even though the allegations contained in the flyer against me were really ridiculous, I still feel the need to debunk these. As I have experienced in the February red-tagging of my family, social media trolls of a certain local political group used this for their own political ends.

Here goes, first, I was in Cagayan de Oro during the entire year of 2006. Second, there is no such thing as a “Surigao RTC Branch 01-1.” Regional Trial Courts are not numbered like that.

Having said that, I would like to thank my family for supporting me during this ridiculous but just as scary year in my journalistic career. I would like to thank friends in the Armed Forces and National Police for their assurances to investigate this latest attack on my person. I was just told over the weekend that they are already tracking two “persons of interest.”

I would also like to thank friends who did what they can, according to their capacities, to denounce my red-tagging, albeit without fanfare. I also extend our gratitude to the support of local and international media community, be it private or public institutions. You, who have issued statements and wrote news articles about this red-tagging, thank you.

However, as I have said before in February, I will not let this cowardly act gag me into silence. I will continue — as what my father taught me before — to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. I will continue to tell the story of the downtrodden, the marginalized, and voiceless people of this Republic.