By ILOILO CITY – Human rights organizations and youth groups strongly denounced what they described as illegal surveillance and red-tagging against two former student leaders from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV).
The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) Panay and Kabataan Party-list Panay issued separate but united statements condemning the Philippine Army’s intelligence unit for targeting Thea Kryshna Dayata and Audrey Eurielle Dayata, both active youth organizers.
According to the groups, on June 22, a relative of the Dayata sisters was approached by military intelligence agents who revealed they had gathered personal information about the two — including photographs, academic records, and affiliations with campus organizations. The operatives accused the sisters of being part of the alleged “umbrella” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), and claimed to be “concerned” about their supposed “radicalization.” The family member was then pressured to convince the sisters to cease their activism.
Both sisters are prominent youth leaders: Thea currently serves as chairperson of Kabataan Party-list Panay, while Audrey, now pursuing a law degree at UPV, is an active member of the NUPL Law Students. During their undergraduate years, they were involved with Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA) and both served as UPV University Student Council chairpersons in A.Y. 2023 and A.Y. 2024.
NUPL Panay described the incident as a “textbook case of red-tagging,” calling it a baseless and dangerous tactic aimed at silencing dissent.
“Red-tagging violates constitutionally guaranteed rights to organize, express political beliefs, and serve the people. Labeling legal organizations as fronts for terrorism is not only unethical and unconstitutional — it is deadly,” said NUPL Panay in its statement.
“This is not just an attack on two individuals,” NUPL emphasized, “but a direct assault on all youth leaders and civic organizations working for truth, justice, and democratic rights.”
The group reiterated that such actions violate the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Deduro v. Vinoya (G.R. No. 254753, July 4, 2023), which declared that red-tagging, vilification, and labeling undermine a person’s rights to life, liberty, and security.
“Let us be clear: being a student-activist is not a crime. Organizing among the youth is not terrorism. Expressing dissent is not rebellion,” NUPL added.
The red-tagging incident follows a recent report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, who urged the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Khan’s report highlighted how red-tagging has become a tool for criminalization, harassment, and violence by state agents.
Kabataan Party-list Panay echoed these sentiments in their own strongly worded statement.
“Hindi espasyo ang mga buluthuan para magpahamak sang mga estudyante. Hindi man espasyo ang mga komunidad para magpahadlok sa mga pumuluyo. Kung may mga pamatan-on nga maisog nga nagabulgar kag nagapanawagan para sa ila kinamatarong, bangod ini sa kakulangan sang gobyerno sa pagsiguro sang ila mahilwayon nga pagkabuhi,” the group said, stressing that schools and communities must remain safe spaces for youth.
“If there are youth who bravely speak out and demand their rights, it is because the government has failed to ensure their freedom and dignity. This is not illegal — this is democracy in action,” they added.
The youth group called on students and communities to stand united against military intimidation and to defend democratic spaces from fear and repression.
In response to the incident, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and Kabataan Party-list Panay are demanding an immediate and impartial investigation into the red-tagging, harassment, and surveillance of Thea and Audrey Dayata; the identification and accountability of the military intelligence personnel involved; the provision of protective measures for the Dayata sisters and other youth activists; the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) due to its continued role in targeting legal dissent; and a clear affirmation from government institutions and civil society that student activism is a democratic right, not a criminal offense.
Despite the threats, both organizations say they will continue to fight for the rights and safety of activists and demand that military forces be held accountable for their actions./PT
