Red-tagging of Patriotism: Commemorating the 157th Bonifacio Day
Tags: Activism, Philippines, Duterte, Bonifacio Day, Terrorism

Illustration by Reia Gordovez

Thousands of militant protesters celebrated the 157th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio on Monday, 30 November 2020. Protesters who gathered in UP Diliman decried the inhumane treatment of our workers — mainly frontliners, jeepney drivers, among others who stay greatly affected due to the pandemic. In Cebu, 5 protesters from Partido Manggagawa were arrested due to alleged quarantine protocol violation of not carrying quarantine passes. In defense, Partido Manggagawa Spokesperson Rene Magtubo stated that the protesters, however, observed social distancing and wearing of face masks during the event and that bringing quarantine passes are not required in freedom of expression. Hence, the arrest is just the police’s form of a crackdown in the guise of quarantine violations. The protest was meant to condemn the retrenchment of 300 workers from a garment factory in Cebu, which came after the layoff of 6,000 workers in the last three months.

On the same day, in honor of the late hero’s patriotism to the country, Duterte aired out his sentiments, saying that Filipinos should be inspired by Bonifacio’s courage and determination, especially now that the country is facing a pandemic.

“As we overcome the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, as we remember his life and deeds, may the values he fought for inspire us all to become worthy heirs of a just, progressive and inclusive society that he envisioned more than a century ago… Mabuhay si Gat Andres Bonifacio at ang ating Inang Bayan,” he stated.

Months ago, however, Duterte managed to pass Republic Act №11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Bill into law on 3 July 2020. The contentious law was passed to prevent, prohibit, and penalized terrorism in the country. It states vague premises on the definition of terrorism, which could easily be abused, especially that red-tagging has always been the government’s tactics in shutting critics. Although the law states that advocacy, protest, and mass action are not included as an act of terrorism, the law impedes the rights of the people to freedom of expression. Without a due warrant, a suspect who is to contravene this law will be detained for 14 to 24 days and will be under strict surveillance by the military and police for 60 to 90 days.

Last Wednesday, 2 December 2020, Amanda Echanis, the daughter of the slain NDFP Peace Consultant Randy Echanis, was illegally arrested along with her one-month-old baby for alleged illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives. This is nothing new, as Duterte’s crackdown on activists have long used such cases in order to arrest members of progressive organizations.

Duterte, along with his minions in the AFP and PNP, dishonors the legacy of Gat Andres Bonifacio. If Duterte really wants the Philippines to become a “just, progressive, and inclusive” society, then he should walk the talk. Red-tagging politicians who are critical of his authoritarian rule while letting corrupt members of congress slide is obviously not the way to go. Waiting for a vaccine and passing on the accountability to the toiling masses only to label the former as “matitigas ang ulo” shows just how inutile the current administration is. And distracting the public of “the red scare”, even going as far as blaming the 52-year old armed struggle for the decline of the country’s gross domestic product, is downright unreasonable.

What this administration fails to understand is that if Bonifacio were alive today, he would have been subject to the same injustices that befell activists like Randy Echanis, Zara Alvarez, Agaton Topacio, and Eugenia Magpantay. Accused of having resisted, in the police’s undying terminology: “nanlaban”. He would have had special mentions in the president’s late-night addresses and would endure numerous tirades of state-funded trolls in social media. If Bonifacio were alive today, he would not be revered as a hero, but accused as a conspirator against Philippine “democracy” and the Filipino people.