06/03/2026
๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐จ๐ฒรฑ๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ โ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ-๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ดโ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐น๐ฏ๐ฎ๐
Student leaders from Bicol University sought legal actions against posters labeling several BU students as members of the armed revolutionary โcadreโ amid the peak of the 2026 EDSA commemoration.
The materials contained photos of the students, used non-consensually, with texts explicitly portraying them, along with other civil union leaders, as enemies of the state and as an extension of the armed revolution in the urban city.
According to consolidated student reports, the posters were first sighted at the Daraga Market Site in the afternoon of February 25, coinciding with the peak of the 40th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Uprising and mass student mobilizations in the region.
Similar printed materials were also found among electrical posts and other conspicuous areas in front of BUCSSP on the evening of the same day, with the others posted at BU Gate 3 waiting shed; along the sidewalks of Rizal Street in Sagpon, Daraga; Barriada Road in Gogon, Legazpi City; and Ateneo Avenue in Naga City.
In response, the concerned students filed an official record of the incident with the Sagpon, Daraga LGU, and reported the case to the Commission on Human RightsโRegion V.
The group has also reported individual incidents of surveillance and intimidation from entities identifying themselves as state actors before the posters were first sighted.
Nic Valencia, chairperson of Rise for Education (R4E) BU, condemned the acts, highlighting how the attacks were being projected to student activists while in the middle of large-scale corruption scandals in the country.
โBakit kabataan ang inaatake? Bakit kami? Bakit nagfo-focus sa paglabag [sa] karapatang pantao namin? Bakit nagfo-focus sa pag-iincriminate sa amin na ginagawa lang naman โyung constitutional rights namin? Na โyung mga proven na nga[ng] mga kriminal, mga proven na nga[ng] nagnanakaw sa sambayang Pilipino, andiyan pa rin, malalaya. Bakit sa amin ang focus? Bakit kami ang bida? Hindi naman kami ang mga kriminal.โ she said in an interview.
She further asserted that the incident only stressed the actual need to fight for human rights in the face of ongoing attacks on youth and student leaders.
โParang another reason, โno, to continue โyung paglaban para sa human rights natin. Kasi hanggaโt nilalabag ang human rightsโmga basic human rights ng isang estudyante, mas nagkakaroโn ng rason ang mga estudyante na ipaglaban ito.โ she said.
Valencia also urged the student body to not turn a blind eye on existing human rights violations against their fellow students and to remain vigilant over similar incidents happening.
โSa student body, i-amplify sana, back-up[an] sana โyung mga kapwa nila estudyante na pinaglalaban din naman ang student rights, huwag sanang ito-tolerate na nangyayari ito sa mga kapwa nila[ng] BUeรฑo.โ called the student leader.
Abiding by the existing Comprehensive Rules and Procedures in Handling Red-Tagging Cases of the university, the group is also coordinating with the special grievance committee created by the same policy to handle external cases of red-tagging, through the University Student Council, for further necessary actions.
Valencia explained that, with the ongoing coordination, this landmark case will not only shed light on the procedures inscribed in the policy, but also on its effectiveness and the possible necessary amendments in its provisions.
โKung pupunta pa tayo sa legal office ng BU, eh di personal din nating malalaman kung paano gumagana yung Anti Red-tagging Policy at kapag nangyari iyon, syempre malalaman natin kung ano yung pwedeng i-amend, ano yung pwedeng baguhin, kung gaano siya ka-effective at, for sure, may matututu[h]an tayo kung paano iha-handle, na hopefully hindi na ulit mangyariโpero alam na natin ngayon kung [mas] paano โyung processes kaya hindi tayo mas mangangarag.โ
Approved in the first semester of this academic year, the anti-red-tagging policy mandates the special grievance committee to conduct necessary investigation and assessment to decide on further actions to be taken, and coordinate with respective offices and agencies specifically concerned with the nature of the case.
The university may also provide the students with additional safeguards within the university premises, guidance counselling, legal assistance, continuous monitoring and assurance, and other assistance as may be deemed appropriate.
๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ๐ด ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ข๐บ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ
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