Silencio Mayor, not his real name, raised a critical question on the credibility of Lorraine Badoy and Antonio Parlade Jr., both notorious for red-tagging antics, in an Anti-Terrorism symposium held at the Pamantasang Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV) on November 8.
Around 200 freshmen students from National Service Training Program (NSTP) classes attended the three-hour symposium called “iKnowit: One Campus Symposium on Anti-Terrorism 3.0 and Anti-Theft for Safe Space Environment”.
“At first, I thought it was just an ordinary event. But as it progressed, the tone shifted from the very beginning,” Mayor added.
Resource speakers were Valenzuela Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, Valenzuela Rep. Eric Martinez, and Danmer De Guzman who is notorious for spreading red-tagging claims and accusations against progressive groups.
Student repression in PLV
“As students of Social Studies, our primary focus is on studying the state of society. It is disheartening because it seems that the priorities of both our school and city administration are contrary to this,” said King Babaylan, not his real name.
According to Babaylan, PLV is facing a shortage of teachers and classrooms, with numerous unresolved issues that have either been dismissed or overlooked.
“LGBTQIA+ students, for example, are prohibited from cross-dressing or growing their hair, and one student was even denied entry simply for not wearing black and closed shoes. Beyond these instances, there is a lingering fear rooted in the historical record of state fascism—a fear that those who think critically and speak out may again be silenced,” he added.
Babaylan said that while PLV claims to encourage so-called ‘democratic spaces,’ the school administration urged that student expression be limited to certain spaces such as official offices and bureaucratic meetings.
He also called out the absence of an independent, university-wide student publication which further limits the opportunities for open dialogue and critical discourse that leave many students like him to feel the weight of a repressive environment.
“According to fellow students, there are difficulties in submitting projects to the Office of Student Affairs, which undergoes extensive revisions until it aligns with their preferences. During our orientation, they expressed clear opposition to activism,” Babaylan lamented.
Babaylan also shared an article published in their school’s NSTP publication, El Voluntario, asserting that nationalism is more important than activism.
“This perspective suggests a lack of understanding of the relationship between these two concepts,” Babaylan added.
Mayor, Babaylan, along with many PLV students, believes that the future of PLV student lies in collective action and a commitment to academic freedom.
“My call is to uphold academic freedom against such regressive agendas. I also urge the Marcos administration to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for pioneering fear-mongering antics, red-tagging, and disinformation against legal dissent and criticism,” Mayor stated.
Groups rejected De Guzman, a traitor
Sectoral formations and rights groups have previously denounced De Guzman.
“Danmer is a traitor to the people and a paid lapdog of the government. Others like him who are recruited to spread lies against mass organizations are manifestations of the counter-insurgency war being carried out by both past and current administrations, led by the NTF-ELCAC,” said Gabriela Tondo in their statement last July 2023.
Mayor also noted that De Guzman criticized UN Special Rapporteurs Irene Khan and Ian Fry, along with other UN experts, labeling them as ‘biased’ toward progressive groups for recommending the abolition of NTF-ELCAC. De Guzman further asserted that the NTF-ELCAC is functional and serving its purpose.
Kabataan Partylist NCR slammed these statements, arguing that the NTF-ELCAC has a long track record of red-tagging, harassment, and targeting of progressive groups, including students and activists.
“Functional? Yes, in red-tagging. Serving its purpose? Absolutely, in suppressing legal dissent and criticism as well as protecting big capitalists and the bureaucratic government of Marcos Jr.,’ said Kyle Lura of Kabataan Partylist NCR.
Anakbayan also denounced De Guzman and has long ceased to recognize him since he began using his voice to smear and discredit the legitimate campaigns of the marginalized sectors in the NCR.
“Danmer De Guzman, who claims to have been a former member of Anakbayan South Caloocan, spread lies in his red-tagging seminars that legitimate organizations like Anakbayan, Gabriela, and Kabataan Partylist are recruiting members to promote ‘terrorism’. It is never a terrorism act to study the society and revolution. Because of people like you, the youth continue to strive to educate and serve the people,” said Anakbayan NCR in a statement.
Anakbayan NCR further reiterated their stance against De Guzman, emphasizing on his betrayal against the people’s interest.
“We are once again making it clear that De Guzman is rejected and condemned for his continuous betrayal of the revolution and the interests of the broad masses. De Guzman chose to save himself by betraying the principles of the revolutionary movement and the people who nurtured and defended him. This kind of betrayal is no different from the fascists and mercenaries who support imperialist forces that continue to exploit and oppress the people. In fact, actions like these only strengthen our resolve that individuals like him have no place in the national democratic movement,” the group said in a statement.
Also present in the symposium were Valenzuela Rotaract Club President Ricardo Atienza, Valenzuela Police Major Jesus Breyer Mansibang as well as officials from Rotary Club Valenzuela, DILG Valenzuela, PNP Valenzuela, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
According to some attendees, the symposium have strict protocol upon entering as they were prohibited from carrying their phones even taking photos of the event.
Since the enactment of Executive Order No. 70 under former Duterte administration in 2018, the NTF-ELCAC was estabilshed to implement a whole-of-nation approach in a bid to end counterinsurgency both in urban and countryside.
In the National Capital Region, urban poor communities and schools were among the focus of NTF-ELCAC in partnership with school administrations, local government units, and other agencies to conduct series of discussion in the guise of an aid program, livelihood support, peace summits, and even safe space consortiums like in PLV.
On the other hand, the Marcos Jr. administration proposed a P7.8 billion fund allotment for NTF-ELCAC’s Barangay Development Program (BDP) for the 2025 budget under National Expenditure Program. Meanwhle, Kabataan Partylist representative Raoul Manuel disclosed that NTF-ELCAC hardly disbursed its P2.2 billion budget for BDP this year.
“NTF-ELCAC has achieved zero percent accomplishment under the BDP this year. If this is the case, their request for nearly four times the P7.8 billion is highly unjustified. We should not fund the BDP for 2025, especially since we are already taking positive steps in the committee of appropriations,” said Rep. Manuel during the budget plenary discussions.
