By KEAN VALDEZ

TORONTO – Bayan Muna Canada, an overseas chapter of the Bayan Muna partylist group, condemned what they described as “defaced” Bayan Muna and Makabayan coalition posters in several Toronto communities. 

The Bayan Muna and Makabayan coalition posters had graffiti which read  “No to NPA.” The overseas chapter documented at least 24 posters with the said graffiti in the Canadian city. 

Bayan Muna Canada stressed that red-tagging poses “serious accusations against legitimate organizations” like the party list, Makabayan electoral candidates, other progressive organizations, activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

Bayan Muna Canada said that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) extended its reach to Canada. Further, the overseas chapter observed a rampant and “pronounced” number of red-tagging incidents since Jeffrey Celiz, the former host of Apollo Quiboloy’s SMNI Network, alleged stay in Canada. 

Last month, near the start of the electoral campaigning period, Bayan Muna was subjected to red-tagging and black propaganda across the Philippines.

An earlier report of Bulatlat highlighted the impact of red-tagging on the upcoming mid-term election. As analyzed by Bayan Muna representative and first nominee Neri Colmenares and human rights group Karapatan, red-tagging is said to normalize misinformation against electoral candidates and its supporters, setting a precedent in fear-mongering Filipinos away from genuinely understanding candidates and their platforms.

Despite a landmark ruling against red-tagging and a landmark civil lawsuit against Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz filed by journalist Atom Araullo,  red-tagging has persisted in the Philippines and abroad. Additionally, Colmenares called on Comelec to take action against red-tagging and hold perpetrators accountable. 

Bayan Muna Canada said that Filipino overseas voters are also prone to red-tagging. As the overseas election period starts on April 13, the group encouraged voters to stay vigilant against red-tagging while they will continue to “expose red-tagging in all its forms.” (AMU, DAA)