For Baguio activist, red-tagging brings back memories of military abuse

From Rappler (Jul 5, 2023): For Baguio activist, red-tagging brings back memories of military abuse (By SHERWIN DE VERA)

For Baguio activist Emi Carreon, a recent case of red-tagging brings back disturbing memories of the alleged military abuse she experienced three decades ago

BAGUIO, Philippines – Red-tagging, the act of labelling people as members or supporters of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), not only comes with the threat of being charged in court, arrested, disappearing, or being killed, but it also creates psychological trauma for the victims.

For Fortunata “Emi” Carreon, being red-tagged also brings back disturbing memories of the abuse she and her siblings experienced at the hands of the military more than three decades ago.

The military has accused the 52-year-old Baguio Night Market vendor of being a part of the Agustin Begnalen Command, the NPA unit operating in Abra province.

Her face and name appeared in leaflets and presentations titled “Current Threat Situation, Pictures of Identified Personalities” of the North Abra guerrilla front. According to her, she was listed as the No. 9 rebel personality in the Periodic Security Report for the 4th Quarter of 2022.

Carreon said this reminded her of the abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of the military over 34 years ago in their hometown, Licuan-Baay.

In a handwritten statement in Ilokano sent on July 3, Carreon recalled how government troops threatened and accused them of being NPA members and held them hostage.

“It was December 22, 1988. I can never forget how they used us as human shields when they chanced upon us on the road at the boundary of Licuan and Lacub during a battle between them (the military) and the NPA,” she said.

Carreon is the former secretary-general of the provincial chapter of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance in Abra. However, she resigned when she moved to Baguio in 2000 after having her child. She has continued her activism as a volunteer for Innabuyog, the regional chapter of the women’s group Gabriela.

Since 2014, she has been helping her husband sell food at the Baguio Night Market while continuing her volunteer work.

Pressure and threats

In a July 4 interview, Carreon said state agents have been pressuring her family in Licuan-Baay to convince her to come home to Abra and “clear her name.”

“They instructed them to convince me to go to Abra to clear my name and told them that if I did not comply, a warrant of arrest would be issued against me,” she said.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/luzon/for-baguio-activist-red-tagging-brings-back-memories-of-military-abuse/