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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
April 4, 2025 | 4:53pm
MANILA, Philippines — Young human rights defenders in the Philippines are abandoning activism and censoring themselves online due to relentless digital harassment, much of it state-sponsored, according to a new report by human rights organization Amnesty International.
The report released on Friday, April 4, documents how "red-tagging" — baselessly labeling individuals as communist sympathizers — has pushed youth activists to withdraw from advocacy work due to a climate of fear.
Besides being hounded by online trolls, some rights defenders say they have received death threats and experienced psychological trauma that extended beyond digital spaces into their daily lives.
Amnesty International's publication of its findings come just over a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reportedly vowed to "never abolish" the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) due to its supposed "success" in "decimating" the "terroristic activities" of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed group.
Rights groups including Amnesty International have previously documented how red-tagging continues at a smaller scale under Marcos. The practice — which saw a major expansion under former President Rodrigo Duterte through the NTF-ELCAC — has exposed activists to danger and caused the Philippines to continue to be ranked among Asia's most perilous for human rights work.
"The chilling effect of online harassment severely impairs the rights of these young human rights defenders. It not only threatens the individual, but also undermines their capacity to do their work to defend human rights," said Mia Tonogbanua, vice chairperson of Amnesty Philippines.
The report “Left to their own devices: The chilling effects of online harassment among young human rights defenders (YHRDs) in the Philippines" is Amnesty International's first youth-led investigation, conducted by nine Filipino researchers aged 18 to 24.
They found that harassment has caused activists to doubt their legitimacy as rights advocates, cut ties with organizations, withdraw from family and friends, and abandon their advocacy work altogether for safety reasons.
A student identified only as Habagat described the aftermath of being red-tagged on NTF-ELCAC's Facebook page: "I couldn't sleep properly for three weeks after it happened. I was constantly afraid for my safety."
Another activist, Sarita, who advocates for peace in southern Philippines, said online attacks "made me feel so weak, so inferior compared to these politicians with all the powers that they have."
Another human rights defender interviewed for the study named Bulan shared that they once received targeted online messages "directly from personal accounts of military personnel" alongside death threats and other "traumatizing messages." Now a researcher for a private Catholic university, she has since deliberately "avoided engaging with social issues online," according to the report.
To cope with these threats, youth groups have created their own support systems — forming well-being committees within organizations, developing security protocols, and pooling resources for mental health and legal assistance.
Government defense
Current government policies have created a system where harassers face no consequences while young defenders must navigate threats without institutional protection, Amnesty said.
When contacted for comment, the Presidential Human Rights Committee claimed that alleged state actors involved in pre-2022 incidents "are no longer connected with government" and denied that red-tagging remains state policy.
This statement came as NTF-ELCAC officials announced plans last week to expand their operations to target additional "local terror groups" beyond the Communist Party of the Philippines and its affiliated groups.
In its response to Amnesty's findings, the University of the Philippines confirmed that NTF-ELCAC personnel had previously violated campus access agreements.
According to UP, its officials had documented cases where government-affiliated speakers at multiple campuses labeled student organizations as communist fronts during National Service Training Program classes. UP has since established specialized crisis response teams and issued formal guidelines for addressing red-tagging incidents.
Amnesty International's recommendations include abolishing the NTF-ELCAC, repealing the Anti-Terrorism Act, and enacting dedicated legislation to protect human rights defenders, particularly youth activists.
Critics have long condemned the NTF-ELCAC for its controversial activities and pronouncements since its establishment in 2018 under Duterte's Executive Order No. 70. Human rights groups have documented how the task force has repeatedly branded legitimate civil society organizations, indigenous communities, labor unions, and student groups as communist fronts without providing evidence, effectively marking them as targets.
The task force's multi-billion peso budget has faced intense scrutiny for implementation delays. During budget hearings last year, a House lawmaker called to defund the NTF-ELCAC after the Department of the Interior and Local Government revealed none of its 885 barangay development projects for 2024 had yet to be completed at the time (August 2024).
In the 2025 General Appropriations Act, the NTF-ELCAC's "Support to the Barangay Development Program" was allocated P1.95 billion, marking the lowest amount since the fund's inclusion in the national budget.
