By By Juliane Judilla
Iloilo City, Philippines — Bayan Muna Partylist- Panay has filed an official complaint with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) regarding a series of red-tagging and discriminatory campaign posters found in multiple locations around Iloilo City. The posters, which allegedly target party-list groups under the Makabayan Coalition, have been spotted in several prominent areas, including Jaro, La Paz, and Molo plazas, as well as near Gaisano Mall, the Jamerlan Building along Iznart Street, and outside Bankers Village in Jaro, among other locations.
Bayan Muna Partylist-Panay Coordinator Irma Espinosa expressed concern over what the group describes as an orchestrated attack on their legitimacy.
“This orchestrated attack is clearly designed to mislead the public and sabotage the legitimate advocacy of the Makabayan Bloc and progressive organizations that have long championed the people’s politics of change,” Espinosa said in a statement.
The posters, according to Bayan Muna, are misleading and intended to undermine the group’s reputation. The partylist emphasized that this action is in direct violation of COMELEC Resolutions No. 11086 (2025 NLBPE IRR of the Fair Election Act or RA 9006) and No. 11116 (Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines for the 2025 NLBPE), both of which prohibit the use of deceptive election materials and unauthorized postings in official public spaces.
“More than just a legal violation, this act is part of a wider black propaganda campaign and disinformation drive aimed at tarnishing the hard-earned reputation of Bayan Muna and its allies, who have consistently fought for the people’s welfare and genuine social change in Congress for over two decades,” the group stated.
Bayan Muna also pointed out that this incident is part of a larger, systematic effort to silence progressive voices. The group accused the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of orchestrating this smear campaign.
“This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a systematic, nationwide campaign of red-tagging, electoral sabotage, and misinformation meant to silence progressive voices. The masterminds behind this cowardly act are none other than those who have long vilified and spread lies about Bayan Muna—chief among them, the NTF-ELCAC. Instead of engaging in substantive discourse on pressing national issues, they resort to desperate, cheap tricks that insult the intelligence of the Filipino people,” the group added.
Bayan Muna is calling on the COMELEC to immediately investigate and remove these fraudulent materials and to hold accountable those responsible for this act of election sabotage. The group also urged the public to remain vigilant against dirty tactics designed to derail the candidacy of genuine people’s representatives.
In a separate development, several “Bayad Muna” posters were removed during the recent Operation Baklas led by Iloilo City’s COMELEC, headed by Atty. Pinkie Tentativa, Election Officer IV, on February 26. The posters, which were deemed to be misleading, have also raised concerns about the legitimacy of election materials being used during the campaign period.
“We found a violation of the latest COMELEC Resolution on anti-discrimination and fair campaigning guidelines,”
“Actually, we received a complaint from the Makabayan Bloc, addressed to Director Ausan, complaining about the confusing campaign materials,” Atty. Pinkie Tentativa said in an interview with RMN Iloilo.
“This is illegal and discriminatory; however, since we have not yet identified who put up these materials, we will collect the materials that were removed,” she added./PT
