Central Luzon State University Student Regent (CLSU SR) Rashela Ballesteros received a package containing red-tagging messages around 12:30 pm on September 17 at the University Supreme Student Council (USSC) office.
The package, sent by a certain Jared Mariano from Guimba, Nueva Ecija, contained a red-tagging message formatted as a love letter, an altered photo showing Ballesteros’s face pasted onto a soldier’s body, and a list of requirements to become an officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The letter in the package read, “Hope I’ll see your smile in campus.(sic)”
In a statement, Anakbayan CLSU condemned yet another harassment and red-tagging of Ballesteros, reiterating that incidents like these result in serious violations of students’ rights to security and freedom of expression.
“This is a threat not only to SR Ballesteros, but also to the democratic rights of the entire CLSU community. It is crucial to protect the freedom of students to voice their demands and participate in social issues, both inside and outside the university,” the youth organization added.
The organization also compared the tactic to the documented methods used by the AFP and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) against several student leaders in CLSU. They noted that this incident is a form of surveillance and harassment against Ballesteros, especially since this is reportedly not the first suspicious attempt to contact her.
Rashela Balesteros of CLSU USSC. (Photo from CLSU USSC)
Related story: Youth groups sound alarm over red-tagging, forced interrogation of student leader
Ballesteros also serves as the national convener of Network Opposed to Pax Silica (NO to Pax Silica), and convener of the Movement Against Destructive Solar Farms (MADSOLAR) and Save the Rice Granary (STRG).
The CLSU University Supreme Student Council (USSC) called the harassment an attack on the broader student masses of CLSU as well. They also noted that the package came months after Ballesteros stood against the continuous cases of surveillance, harassment, red-tagging, and intimidation suffered during the first week of classes in the university.
Since 2024, Ballesteros, fellow student activists and leaders Eyu Bartolome, Cairo Sandoval, and Loi Matias, have faced repeated red-tagging and harassment by military forces and the NTF-ELCAC. Notably, on June 12, 2026, two unidentified men approached CLSU employees to inquire about Ballesteros’s whereabouts.
CLSU USSC also emphasized that despite the university’s formation of a committee addressing red-tagging and attacks on CLSUans, attacks on student activists persist in the university. (RVO)
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