MANILA—-Youth and environmental groups denounced the interrogation and red-tagging of University of the Philippines University Student Council (USC) Councilor-elect Angel Lopez on June 13 amid community immersion in a community in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. 

Alyansa ng Novo Vizcayano para sa Kalikasan (ANVIK) stated in its online statement that Lopez was picked up by his family, accompanied by four non-uniformed intelligence personnel from the 5th Infantry Division, during an information and education campaign for the residents of barangay Kakiduguen that will be affected by the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation.  

The group added that Lopez was brought to an eatery where he was red-tagged and interrogated. He was reportedly interrogated by an alleged rebel surrenderer Mara Macaspac, who introduced herself as alias “Kira”. Throughout the interrogation, Lopez was being forced to ‘surrender’. 

In a statement, AGHAM Youth National stressed that the forced removal from the immersion and interrogation of Lopez is a clear form of harassment and intimidation. “Angel’s family’s vulnerability was exploited to force her into an alleged surrender continuously,” they emphasized. 

UP Diliman USC expressed that these attacks serve as an old state tactic to intimidate the youth. “These state tactics and intimidation are nothing new. From USC Councilor Alyssa Alano, who was slain by bloodthirsty military forces after choosing to stand with the peasant masses in Negros, to Angel, who is now being persecuted for standing in solidarity with communities defending their ancestral lands and environment, the state’s message remains the same: silence the youth who choose to learn from the people and dedicate their intellect, time, and strength to the nation.” 

More attacks against youth activists

Meanwhile, in Central Luzon, more students rights violations were recently reported, reflecting a broader and systemic pattern. 

In an alert posted online, Central Luzon State University Supreme Student Council (CLSU-USSC) reported harassment against its leaders.  

The student council said that on June 12, two unidentified men looked for Rashela Ballesteros*, asking CLSU employees for her whereabouts. 

Ballesteros is the newly elected chairperson of the USSC and Student Regent of the university.

The same men also looked for Cairo Sandoval (Independent Campus Journalism for Press Freedom Chairperson and CLSU Collegian staff), Eyu Bartolome (Anakbayan Nueva Ecija Chairperson), and Loi Matias of Unity of Leaders and Students for the Advancement of Democratic Student Right and Welfare member (USAd-DSRW).

Anakbayan expressed condemnation of the attacks against Bartolome, saying that the state’s ongoing attacks are part of the widespread repression of the youth. Bartolome, a BA Social Science student and chairperson of Anakbayan Nueva Ecija, played a pivotal role in mobilizing fellow students against corrupt flood control projects under the Marcos Jr. regime. 

According to Anakbayan Nueva Ecija, since November 2024, several unidentified men have been looking for Bartolome inside the university and even at their residence. In April 2025, two individuals identifying themselves as members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) visited the house of Bartolome’s friend. They branded her as an NPA recruiter, threatened her friend with abduction, and intimidated the friend’s family. This continued through suspected intelligence agents asking around for their whereabouts while carrying their photograph, spreading rumors that they are NPA members recruiting youth. There was even a specific case where her photo was circulated with an ‘X’ marked over her face.

Meanwhile, Sandoval’s continuous advocacy for press freedom was met with escalating intimidation, silencing, and red-tagging by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) forces. Its agents visited Sandoval’s parents at their workplace and threatened them regarding their child’s safety because of Sandoval’s convictions and struggles.

AFP and NTF-ELCAC forces have also surveilled Matias at her place of residence. Matias experienced harassment and was tailed by unidentified men following a protest action commemorating Martial Law in 2025. 

Before the harassment against the student leaders, a tarpaulin was hung and flyers were scattered red-tagging progressive organizations such as League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, Gabriela Women’s Party, and Kabataan Partylist, alleging links to the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). The tarpaulin was seen hanging along the overpass and main gate of CLSU last June 9. 

Ballesteros said in an interview with CLSU Collegian that CCTV footage from the Security and Safety Unit (SSU) showed two masked and hooded individuals roaming the area. These men were later seen hanging the tarpaulins around 8:00 p.m the same day. 

Progressive groups have been calling for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC which was strengthened under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration with an  allocated budget of total of P8.08 billion  ($133.8 million USD) for 2026. 

They also demanded the repeal of the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) which enforces a “Whole-of-Nation” approach in requiring all civilian government line agencies, local government units, and public institutions to align their work and resources under the national security and counter-insurgency framework of the government.  

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers stressed that NAP-UPD, contrary to it being framed as a whole-of-nation approach, is in reality a recycled counterinsurgency strategy—tried, failed, and repackaged. 

“It sidesteps the root causes of armed conflict and instead relies on trumped-up charges, perjured testimony from state-recruited witnesses, staged reintegration of alleged “former rebels” in militarized communities, and the coordinated red-tagging of rights defenders and dissenters,” NUPL said in its earlier statements. 

As of this writing, Lopez has returned home safely. (AMU, RVO)