The military’s visit in Valix’s home is a blatant form of surveillance and red-tagging.
MANILA — Progressive youth groups condemned the military harassment experienced by student leader Rafael Jay Valix.
According to the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), two individuals, who presented themselves as members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) visited Valix’s house around 9 a.m. of April 28, 2026. They spoke with his mother and sister, claiming they wanted to “educate” him about his involvement in organizations and offer him “guidance.”
A week before, relatives were summoned to the Philippine National Police (PNP) office in Tarlac and shown photos of Valix attending protests.
Valix is the NUSP’s Tarlac coordinator and Tarlac State University Supreme Student Council (TSU SSC) vice president.
The NUSP stressed that these tactics are not new.
“The military and police cannot fool us with their “education” when this is simply state propaganda to quell dissent. They cannot be trusted with “guidance” when they are the leading threat against students, the youth, and the masses, with their long history of red-tagging, intimidation, harassment, and other human rights violations,” the alliance said.
Local youth group Kabataang Tarlakenyo para sa Bayan said that the military’s visit in Valix’s home is a blatant form of surveillance and red-tagging.
“The moment armed state agents can intrude upon a student’s private space to persecute them for their advocacy and convictions, it becomes clear that the target is not just one individual, but the entire youth sector that continues to fight for the rights and welfare of the youth,” the organization added.
Campus publications in TSU also released a joint statement protesting the incident. They stressed that as attacks persist, youth activists like Valix will only persevere in serving the people.
Continuing pattern of attacks on youth activists
The surveillance and harassment experienced by Valix is not an isolated case.
Karapatan’s report on civil and political rights attacks in the country from July 2022-2025 revealed that there were 10,825,864 cases of threat, intimidation, and harassment—with youth activists suffering from these attacks.
Just last year, following the September 21 police brutality, at least four student leaders received subpoenas. and were charged with sedition and inciting to sedition charges.
Youth leaders Tiffany Brillante, Aldrin Kitsune, and Jacob Baluyot attend a press conference on October 16, 2025, following the subpoenas they received. Photo from the Philippine Collegian
Another case involved Shane Franco, former Assistant Vice President of Kabataan Partylist Central Luzon. On February 26, 10 a.m., individuals who presented themselves as CIDG personnel visited his previous boarding house at barangay Capehan in Tarlac City. Said individuals looked for Franco, and claimed that Franco is a recruiter for the New People’s Army (NPA). They also asked the resident there about Franco and their whereabouts.
Progressive youth groups also demanded that the TSU administration provide Valix both legal and security assistance. (RVO)
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