Students demand safe haven implementation amid terror-tagging

By Shan Kenshin Ecaldre

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Days before the opening of the annual February Fair of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), materials red tagging student leaders and progressive groups were circulated inside the university. 

On February 9, 2026, students discovered a bulk of flyers along F.O. Santos Street bearing terror-tagging content that sought to delegitimize the February Fair and intimidate its organizers. The flyers featured the faces of former UPLB students who were later martyred, alongside current student leaders, branding them as alleged recruiters of the revolutionary movement.

The materials echoed anonymous messages targeting leaders from various sectors and activists across Southern Tagalog. Similar messages had been randomly sent to students through social media message requests in the months prior.

“These attacks are not isolated cases of harassment,” Princess Elec, chairperson of Youth Advocates for Peace with Justice–UPLB (YAPJUST–UPLB), told Bulatlat. 

Elec criticized what they called a persistent red-tagging campaign that attempts to frame progressive campus initiatives within the government’s counterterrorism narrative. “They are deliberate and systematic efforts to associate legitimate student initiatives with terrorism,” she said.

In the days that followed, similar flyers appeared almost daily, first along Ruby Street, then in nearby areas, and eventually within the campus itself. Student leaders are currently consolidating reports as incidents continue to surface.

Calls to restore safeguards

The recent incidents have revived demands to strengthen protections within UP campuses.

In 2021, following the unilateral termination of the UP-DND Accord by then president Rodrigo Duterte, student and employee groups pushed for the Safe Haven Resolution in UPLB. The accord had previously required prior coordination before police and military forces could enter UP campuses, except in emergencies.

The Safe Haven Resolution was envisioned to uphold a campus environment that protects free and critical thinking. However, student leaders said it remains largely unimplemented due to the absence of clear implementing rules and regulations.

“Without concrete mechanisms, students are left confused about what to assert when they encounter police presence or red-tagging,” Elec said.

Reports of police freely entering and exiting campus persist. Recently, a supposed “mini concert” by the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division at the Department of Military Science and Tactics complex drew public outrage and was eventually canceled. Student groups condemned the move, citing the unit’s alleged involvement in rights violations in Southern Tagalog.

Targeting dissent

Red-tagging, the practice of labeling individuals and organizations as communist or terrorist fronts without evidence, has long been used against activists, journalists, unionists, and human rights defenders in the Philippines.

In a historic decision in May 2024, the Supreme Court has declared that red-tagging is a threat to life, liberty and security. 

Read: SC rules: Red-tagging is threat to life, liberty

Campus groups pointed to the role of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which has been criticized repeatedly by rights advocates for endangering progressives through public accusations that blur the line between activism and armed rebellion.

“The timing of these threats is telling,” Elec said. “As the February Fair approaches, so does the attempt to discredit it.”

The UPLB February Fair traces its roots to campus resistance during the dictatorship and has since evolved into a space for cultural expression and political engagement. 

Every year, it provides a platform for discussions on education rights, women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, human rights, and broader socio-economic issues affecting communities.

For student leaders, the effort to brand the fair as a “terror-grooming” event reflects a broader climate where civic engagement is treated as a security threat.

A pattern of harassment

This is not the first time UPLB students have faced red-tagging.

During last year’s campus elections, materials red-tagging University Student Council (USC) Chairperson Geraldine “Wes” Balingit and Kabataan Partylist third nominee John Peter Angelo (JPEG) Garcia circulated in and around campus. Similar content was also disseminated online, including through troll accounts that posted identical messages across UPLB-related pages.

Since August 2025, YAPJUST–UPLB has documented at least 20 reported cases of red-tagging through an online monitoring form, though student leaders believe the actual number is higher as some victims have chosen not to come forward.

“Red-tagging does not end with a flyer or a post,” Elec said. “It creates an environment where harassment, surveillance, and even fabricated charges become possible.”

Human rights groups have documented how red-tagging has preceded arrests under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and non-bailable charges such as illegal possession of firearms or explosives. In worst cases, it has been linked to extrajudicial killings.

‘Fear will not protect us’

Despite the threats, campus formations remain resolute. YAPJUST–UPLB, along with the USC and allied groups, has submitted reports to Barangay Batong Malake and is calling for the immediate implementation of the Safe Haven Resolution at the barangay and municipal levels.

For Elec, defending academic freedom requires institutional backing. “This cannot be carried by students alone,” she said. “The administration and the entire UP system must act decisively to protect their constituents.”

As the February Fair proceeds, organizers insist that attempts to suppress it only affirm its significance. “The February Fair is fundamentally a protest space,” Elec said. “The more they try to silence us, the clearer it becomes why this space must exist.”

In the face of red-tagging and intimidation, UPLB progressives vow to continue asserting their rights.

“The youth will not be silenced,” Elec said. “The youth will resist.” (RTS, RVO)

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