UPM student council, Tulong Kabataan UPM condemn red-tagging, death threats online in donation drive

Tulong Kabataan University of the Philippines (UP) Manila and the Peoples Struggles Committee of UP Manila University Student Council (USC) condemned the red-tagging and death threats sent to the numbers they published in their call for donations.

“We strongly condemn these actions and accusations that, aside from being counterproductive to our cause, place members of our community at a greater risk. Red-tagging has serious implications that pose a real danger to a person’s life. Moreover, these threats exact a toll on the well-being of our members, especially in these trying times,” said UP Manila USC in a statement on March 30.

The groups started their call for donations on March 14 and reached P500,000 by March 30 and more donations in kind. Most of these donations they have given to Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and some to other hospitals like the Lung Center of the Philippines.

They are currently calling for support to the “Bayanihan Na!’ initiative of PGH, following PGH being named as one of three COVID-19 referral centers, where the group will turn over all in-kind and monetary donations and support to its campaign center.

Habagat Farrales, co-head of the Peoples Struggles Committee of UP Manila USC and Tulong Kabataan UP Manila, decried the harassment against those who are trying to help.

“The noxious practice of red-tagging and death threats against youth groups continue and have come to the point where these wicked elements vilify even humanitarian efforts,” said Farrales.

Farrales said the “systematic harassment of youth groups permeated Duterte’s total lockdown as they are peas in the same pod.”

“The militarist approach of the Duterte administration in facing this public health crisis foments such abuse as red-tagging and death threats,” said Farrales.

Lorevie Caalaman of Tulong Kabataan Metro Manila observed that such red-tagging and threats came about following government officials’ statements that call for donations is not needed or that face masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) were not lacking in supply. These were said despite public and private hospitals themselves publishing their calls for donations for face masks and PPEs.

“Whatever the administration officials say become the content of the DDS and trolls online. The government’s statement are either the trigger point of these attacks or the agenda and ideas that is being spread by the government,” said Caalaman.