Former rebels push back at ‘red-tagging’ claims in Ateneo de Davao disinformation forum

DAVAO CITY— Former rebels Jam Saguino and Arian Jane Ramos said their presence at Ateneo de Davao University’s September 13 forum on disinformation was about setting the record straight and protecting students, not “red-tagging.”

Saguino, a former CPP-NPA member, challenged what she called misleading campus narratives during the forum, “The Hidden War: Information as the New Battleground in the Philippines,” which gathered over 50 participants from the security sector and civil society. Veteran international journalist Jamela Alindogan was the guest speaker.

Citing an Atenews article that framed Charisse “ChaBa” Bañez and the “Agusan 6” as mere peasant organizers and victims of state persecution, Saguino said key facts were left out. She pointed out that Bañez had been a national officer of national democratic organizations such as the League of Filipino Students and Anakbayan, and later became a political officer of the last New People’s Army unit in Southern Mindanao.

Saguino noted she had earlier written Atenews to correct its account of the June 13 arrest of the NPA fighters. “These are not unverified claims,” Saguino said in her letter. “They are corroborated by multiple former cadres and even documented in videos where Bañez publicly praises the CPP-NPA. Failing to disclose this is not journalism—it is propaganda laundering.”

Ramos likewise defended the discussion as truth-telling in the face of recruitment tactics.

Responding to accusations of “red-tagging” from Anakbayan and Kabataan Party-list, she wrote on Facebook: “When we reveal the truth about the CPP-NPA’s infiltration, we are called red-taggers. When they recruit students to join the NPA, they call themselves human rights defenders. I am ready to present every piece of evidence—in public, in court if necessary—to protect our youth from this cycle of deception.”

After the event, Anakbayan–Southern Mindanao denounced the forum as “fake” and “proof of continuing de facto martial law in Mindanao.” Saguino and Ramos countered that airing verified information and lived experiences is part of safeguarding the campus and the youth from disinformation and recruitment.