Makabayan bloc lawmakers have accused the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of Education (DepEd) of red-tagging by distributing pamphlets labeling students who oppose government policies as terrorists.

Rep. France Castro of ACT Teachers and Rep. Raoul Manuel of Kabataan said that DepEd and the 80th Infantry Battalion were seen distributing the said pamphlet near Taytay Senior High School in Rizal province.

“This is a clear case of harassment and intimidation of our youth and a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court’s [SC] ruling that red-tagging is a dangerous practice that puts lives in peril,” Castro said.

The SC recently issued a ruling acknowledging the dangers of red-tagging. Red-tagging is the act of publicly accusing someone of being a communist or a supporter of communist rebels.

Castro further criticized the use of taxpayers’ money “to spread disinformation and terrorize our students.” She urged Congress to expedite measures to ban red-tagging and punish those who engage in it.

Manuel, on the other hand, said the alleged red-tagging contradicted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s  claims that the government would not engage in these activities.

“It is proof that what Marcos Jr. said is not true,” Manuel said. He added that the pamphlets wasted public funds and aimed to stifle critical thinking among the youth.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) denied the accusations. The task force said the pamphlets never stated that rally attendees are terrorists.

“The seminar adhered to a Memorandum of Partnership with DepEd-Rizal to conduct information education campaigns for senior high school students,” the NTF-Elcac said. “It aimed to provide them with knowledge of the indicators or red flags that they are being recruited by CPP-NPA organizers.”

The CPP-NPA refers to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army, a rebel group fighting the Philippine government for decades.

The NTF-Elcac maintained that the seminar focused on NPA recruitment and did not target any other organization.

The National Security Council (NSC) on May 27 also denied that the pamphlets distributed contained red-tagging content. The NSC asserted a review of the pamphlets shows no such characterization.

Both Castro and Manuel believe the pamphlets contain misinformation and threaten democratic institutions. They said they would pursue legal action based on the recent SC decision.