This move by the Cateel police could be used as a justification for trumped-up charges.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Southern Mindanao progressive groups and other school-based organizations decried the “Active Wanted Persons” tagging reportedly made by a municipal police station against their members.
Human rights alliance Karapatan said that this endangers the safety and well-being of the tagged individuals and may lead to illegal arrests, enforced disappearances, and even extrajudicial killings.
“Instead of maligning and harassing activists, the PNP (Philippine National Police) should instead put up posters of international fugitives like Ronaldo ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, who is facing charges of murder and other crimes against humanity,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary-general, said in a statement.
On May 27, Grecian Asoy, Karapatan Southern Mindanao deputy secretary-general, and 13 others were tagged as “Active Wanted Persons” by the Cateel Municipal Police Station in Davao Oriental province through a social media post. The post has already been deleted but progressive groups were able to take screenshots.
The now-deleted post bore their names, photographs, organizations they are affiliated with, and their designations to these groups.
Screenshots of the now-deleted Facebook posts made by Cateel Municipal Police Station in Davao Oriental, tagging several members of progressive groups as “Active Wanted Persons.” Contributed photo
Included in the list were leaders of the Southern Mindanao and University of the Philippines Mindanao chapters of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Gabriela, Kabataan Party-list, Anakbayan, and College Editors Guild of the Philippines.
Based on the screenshots, these individuals were tagged as wanted persons without indicating any charges filed against them.
Karapatan Southern Mindanao said that this move by the Cateel police could be used as a justification for trumped-up charges, recalling the case of its former secretary-general, Jay Apiag, who was arrested in 2024. Apiag was among the nine individuals tagged as “Terrorist Recruiter” in posters circulated in Davao City in 2020.
It added that this incident revealed that activists were being monitored and profiled.
Palabay said that this creates a climate of fear to the targeted individuals, as well as to their families, colleagues, and the communities they serve. “These individuals have not committed any crime, yet they are being branded as criminals — a grave violation of their right to due process.”
Kabataan Party-list Southern Mindanao said that this is aimed at intimidating progressive organizations. “These patterns of attacks directly endanger the said individuals, as these will set precedents in future harassment cases and attacks directed at activists.”
Kabataan Party-list Southern Mindanao Chairperson Cobbie Jan Canda, Kabataan Party-list Vice President for Mindanao Harvey Lao, and Kabataan Party-list 5th Nominee Jayvie Cabajes were included in the so-called wanted list.
Concerned groups urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the incident and hold the Cateel PNP and all police officials involved accountable. (DAA)
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