May 30 is the day the youth asserted to ‘recoup’ or ‘take back’.
Accordingly, a rank of progressive youth organizations led by Anakbayan called it Araw ng Pagbawi where they collectively assail the ongoing crisis inflicted by the Duterte administration amid the ongoing pandemic.
Instead of an adequate COVID-19 response and economic support, a variety of state and nonstate actors put up to intensify crackdown with series of arbitrary arrests, red-tagging, and killings against critics, said the youth groups.
“Nandito tayo ngayon para bumawi at manawagan ng hustisya sa ating mga bilanggong pulitikal maging ang iba pang mga pinaslang sa kamay ng mapanupil na estado,” said Sebastian Tuerez of Anakbayan Metro Manila.
Tuerez shared how worse the effects of red-tagging have been in the youth and those of the critics at large.
“Nakaraan lamang si Alicia Lucena ay dinakip gamit ang randomized swab testing. Nakababahala dahil ito pa naman ay pangangailangan ngayon ng tao at ginamit pa mismo ng administrasyon bilang armas pang-aresto laban sa mga kritiko nito,” he continued.
Lucena was a member of Anakbayan Morayta chapter reported to have been abducted by state enforcers on April 19. Anakbayan affirmed that Lucena was deceived with the swab testing as planned by the barangay captain of who conspired with elements of National Task Force to End Local Communist and Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Tuerez further noted that there have received series of physical surveillance and death threats during the first quarter of 2021.
He added that especially at the helm of anti-terrorism law, red-tagging is served as a ticket where an individual could either be arrested based on fabricated charges or become a victim of extrajudicial killing.
As a matter of, two youth leaders from Metro Manila were red-tagged and received death threats via unregistered numbers last January 11.
The comprehensive youth organization said that there are more than 600 of political prisoners in the country and dozen came from the youth sector.
To cap the program, Anakbayan along with the progressive groups exclaimed in chorus: “Babawi kaming kabataan, babawiin namin ang kinabukasan, at babawian natin ang rehimeng Duterte!”
