KARAPATAN hits malicious tagging of regional officer, rights defenders as “Active Wanted Persons” in Davao Oriental
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
May 28, 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN hits malicious tagging of regional officer, rights defenders as “Active Wanted Persons” in Davao Oriental
Human rights alliance KARAPATAN strongly condemns the reckless and dangerous act of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Cateel Municipal Police Station in Davao Oriental for tagging Karapatan-Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) Deputy Secretary General Grecian Asoy, and leaders of youth and people’s organizations as “Active Wanted Persons” through posts published on its official Facebook page on May 27, 2026.
The posts, uploaded at around 8:45 AM and 8:47 AM, contained photographs and captions implying criminal liability against the identified activists and rights defenders. While the posts have since been taken down, the damage caused by such malicious and irresponsible red-tagging remains grave and alarming.
“By publicly labeling rights advocates as ‘wanted persons,’ the PNP endangered their lives and security and created conditions that may lead to illegal arrests, enforced disappearances, fabricated charges, and even extrajudicial killings,” said Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general.
“Instead of maligning and harassing activists, the PNP should instead put up posters of international fugitives like Ronaldo ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, who is facing charges of murder and other crimes against humanity,” she asserted.
The group said that the public vilification of activists and rights defenders has long been employed by State security forces as part of a systematic campaign of intimidation and political persecution against those engaged in legitimate human rights work.
“It creates a climate of fear not only for the individuals targeted, but also for their families, colleagues, and the communities they serve. These individuals have not committed any crime, yet they are being branded as criminals — a grave violation of their right to due process,” Palabay said.
KARAPATAN noted that similar tactics have previously been used against rights defenders in the region. In 2020, “Wanted” posters of activists, including Karapatan-SMR Secretary General Jay Apiag, were posted across Davao City. He was later subjected to surveillance before being arrested in August 2024 on trumped-up charges and detained for at least two years.
“Obviously, the ultimate objective of state forces is to disrupt and derail the work of people’s organizations. Public funds are being wasted on these cheap tactics that are no different from the methods of fake news peddlers and online scammers in deceiving the public,” Palabay said.
The group warned that it will hold accountable all officers and officials involved in the publication of the malicious posts, as well as those who may inflict harm or danger upon Asoy and other rights defenders.
“We say to the PNP: hands off Grecian Asoy. Stop the public vilification and red-tagging of activists and rights defenders. We will hold accountable those who place our colleagues and fellow human rights defenders in danger,” Palabay said.
“This is the handiwork of the NTF-ELCAC, the Marcos Jr. administration’s official terror-tagging agency. This agency should be abolished,” she added.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.