DAVAO CITY, Philippines —Student leaders and activists decried a now-deleted social media post by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Cateel, Davao Oriental that identified activists and students as “Active Wanted Persons.”
The advisory, posted on the official Facebook page of the Cateel Municipal Police Station on May 27, 2026, contained the names and affiliations of progressive leaders and student activists in the Davao Region.
The UP Mindanao University Student Council condemned the incident, calling it a baseless and dangerous act of red-tagging — a practice that rights groups have long criticized as a tool used to intimidate and silence critics and democratic organizations.
Among those named in the list were Lara Felescoso, incumbent chairperson of the UP Mindanao University Student Council; Emman Pamaylaon of UP Salida; and Genesis Catalan of Anakbayan-UP Mindanao. Also included were UP Mindanao alumni and activists, including Anakbayan spokesperson Fauzhea Guiani.
The council called for the accountability of the Cateel Municipal Police Station over what it described as the “reckless and unsubstantiated labeling” of the named individuals. It also urged the UP Mindanao administration to officially condemn the incident.
Kabataan Party-list Southern Mindanao, meanwhile, called on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the case.
Kabataan Party-list Southern Mindanao, whose regional chairperson Cobbie Jan Candia, Vice President for Mindanao Harvey Lao, and fifth nominee Jayvie Cabajes were named in the post, condemned the incident and described it as an attempt to intimidate and silence activists allegedly carried out by the police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“This serves as a dangerous precedent not only for the individuals targeted but also for youth activists. Youth activists fight for a better future, not only for ourselves but for the next generations as well,” Candia said.
Candia also described the incident as “pathetic, weak, and desperate.”
Gabriela Youth Davao likewise condemned the incident, stressing that deleting the post was not enough after the individuals named had already been exposed to danger.
Gabriela Youth spokesperson Allyssa Ancheta and member Allaiza Gerodiaz, both students of the University of the Philippines Mindanao and known youth activists, were among those included in the list.
“Dapat managot ang PNP Cateel sa pagpapakalat ng mapanirang disimpormasyon na naglalayong gawing kriminal ang aktibismo, patahimikin ang mga kritikal na tinig, at maghasik ng takot laban sa mga patuloy na nakikibaka para sa karapatan at kapakanan ng mamamayan,” Gabriela Youth Davao stated.
Reckless, dangerous
In a statement, human rights group Karapatan described the incident as a “reckless and dangerous act,” warning that the labeling of rights advocates as wanted persons places the lives and security of activists, students, and members of people’s organizations at risk.
The group said such actions create conditions that “may lead to illegal arrests, enforced disappearances, fabricated charges, and even extrajudicial killings.”
“It creates a climate of fear not only for the individuals targeted, but also for their families, colleagues, and the communities they serve. These individuals have not committed any crime, yet they are being branded as criminals — a grave violation of their right to due process,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.
Included in the list was Karapatan Southern Mindanao Deputy Secretary General Grecian Asoy, along with other progressive leaders and students.
Karapatan said the public vilification of activists and rights defenders has long been used by state security forces as part of what it described as a systematic campaign of intimidation and political persecution against individuals engaged in legitimate human rights work.
The group also recalled a similar incident involving posters bearing the faces and names of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao Secretary General Jay Apiag and other progressive leaders. Apiag was later subjected to surveillance before being arrested in August 2024 on charges the group described as fabricated, leading to his continued detention.
“Obviously, the ultimate objective of state forces is to disrupt and derail the work of people’s organizations. Public funds are being wasted on these cheap tactics that are no different from the methods of fake news peddlers and online scammers in deceiving the public,” Palabay added. (davaotoday.com)
