A community college in Davao de Oro which caters to Lumad and farmers reported that they are red-tagged by local officials and the military.
The argument that red-tagging has a chilling effect on human rights defenders is nothing new. What makes it hog the headline is that this now comes from those affiliated with the United Nations (UN).
In commemoration of International Women's Month this March, a Lumad women's organization in Southern Mindanao Region vowed to remain at the forefront in defending their ancestral lands and asserting their basic rights.
Ninety-five families of two Manobo villages in Barangay Diatagon, Lianga town, Surigao del Sur province reportedly fled their homes on Friday (Feb 29) amid reported gun battles between government soldiers and the New People's Army (NPA) near their communities.
As the country commemorated the 34th EDSA People Power anniversary on Tuesday(Feb 25), survivors of Marcos dictatorship, along with human rights advocates, warned that the Duterte administration is "a haunting shadow of one of the darkest eras in Philippine history."