From the US to the Philippines, stop the terror-tagging! End the culture of impunity!

After spending nearly a month in the hands of her Philippine military captors, we are relieved that Chantal has now been released and is back in the U.S to be reunited with her loved ones and community. Thousands came together to demand her immediate surfacing and waged a tireless campaign for her release and return, knowing that every second she spent under military custody was a danger to her physical and psychological well-being.

However, Chantal and the communities and organizations she was with are still in danger. We condemn the veiled threats made in the NTF-ELCAC's statement that Chantal may be persecuted or face criminal accountability once she arrives in the U.S., on the premise of her supposed "admissions" to being involved with Filipino revolutionary organizations.

We must not blindly believe that Chantal actually made the "disclosures" cited by the NTF-ELCAC. As attested to by other survivors of military abduction—like Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, who were tortured and coerced to lie about their alleged affiliations—any document signed or statements made while under military custody are questionable, because these were done under duress and without access to trusted lawyers. We reiterate that Chantal was being held by the very same army that dropped bombs on her and the indigenous communities she chose to serve in the first place.

Ultimately, we assert that it is not a crime for migrant youth to go to the homeland to learn about the conditions of the most exploited firsthand. Hindi krimen umuwi.

By continuing to associate her with groups that the NTF deems as "terrorists," the Philippine state actively puts Chantal and Filipino advocacy organizations at risk of state attack here in the U.S. After all, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who also chose to stand up for marginalized and undocumented migrant communities here, were both labeled as "domestic terrorists" by the Trump administration to justify their murders at the hands of ICE. Both the Philippine and U.S. governments are labeling activists and human rights advocates as "terrorists" to establish a culture of impunity to get away with blatant crimes against the people.

It is the Philippine military that attacks its own people that ​is the true terrorist. Ang AFP ang tunay na terorista.

It is an insult to youth and students that the Philippine government tries to discredit their genuine concern and care for their communities as merely a result of "terror-grooming." This takes away from the agency of each young person to think critically and be involved in social issues. But for a government that actively cuts funding to education while increasing funding to military programs and agencies, their actions come as no surprise. The real terror groomer is the military itself. It is the AFP that pushed for mandatory ROTC for all, and even posted photo-ops with young children holding dangerous assault rifles as part of their "learning tours."

Let us be clear: the publicity stunts of the AFP and NTF-ELCAC are meant to cover up and distract from the real crimes and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the military—not just the the aerial bombings, forced displacement, and murder committed on January 1, but also their backing of big mining and real estate companies alongside whom they have committed long-running crimes in Mindoro. The NTF-ELCAC may hide behind assertions of "respect for human rights" and "dignity", but their track record shows blatant disregard for the same.

We must also remember that the military and NTF don't lie simply to evade accountability. They do so because it is profitable. It is not only through flood control projects that government officials get rich quick. For every "surrenderee" and every village "cleared" of rebels, there is money that goes into the pockets of the military, NTF, and even local government officials in cahoots with them. This is the real nature of the so-called Barangay Development Program (BDP) and Enhanced Community Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the NTF under Marcos Jr.'s U.S.-crafted counterinsurgency program, the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development.

Meanwhile, armed personnel also terrorize communities to make way for big corporate interests who want to plunder the land in places like Abra de Ilog and, recently, Dupax del Norte in Nueva Viscaya. By serving as foreign companies' hired guns, they secure kickbacks at the expense of the land and livelihood of the most oppressed.

As we approach the anniversary of People Power, we remember that the mass movement can overcome any form of state deception and fascist attacks. We will not back down.

From the US to the Philippines, stop the terror-tagging! End the culture of impunity! Expose the lies of the NTF-ELCAC & AFP! Abolish the NTF-ELCAC!

Defend Mindoro! Defend people's organizations! Activism is not a crime!

Stop the killings! Stop the bombings! End the IHL violations!