NUJP, Other Orgs, Local Journalist “Red-tagged” Anew

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), other organizations and a local journalist were again tagged as “terrorist supporters” last week in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental by unknown perpetrators.
Cagayan de Oro City is 789.64 kilometers south of Manila.
A black streamer tagging the NUJP, militant groups and human rights activists as terrorist supporters was found Tuesday, 25 June 2019 along a section of a road at Upper Zone 4, Barangay Bulua in this city. A similar incident happened last May, during the press freedom week here. (See previous alert: “NUJP, Other Groups “Red-tagged” During Press Freedom Week”)
NUJP reported the following day, June 26, that Cagayan de Oro City-based journalist Cong Corrales was again tagged as a supporter of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The name of Corrales and eight others were printed on bond paper-sized stickers which were found in different locations in the city, NUJP said via its Twitter account. Corrales and his entire family were accused of being NPA supporters earlier this year. (See previous Alert: “Cagayan de Oro Journalist ‘Red” tagged”) Carried out by unidentified entities, the practice has become common in many areas where the NUJP and other groups are actively defending press freedom and human rights. Some of those accused as supporters of the NPA and terrorists have been threatened and even killed.