The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) denounces the sustained campaign of red-tagging, intimidation, and surveillance carried out by the NTF-ELCAC against peasant organizer Jeverlyn Seguin, Deputy Secretary-General of Kasama – TK .
Over recent weeks, reports received by KASAMA-TK show a sharp increase in acts of red-tagging directed at Seguin, continuing a pattern that has been ongoing for years but has now reached dangerous levels.
At least twenty online posts falsely accusing Seguin of links to the CPP-NPA have circulated on Facebook pages associated with NTF-ELCAC in the recent months. Some of these posts go beyond red-tagging and contain direct threats to her life. Most alarming is the fact that the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Southern Luzon Command officially amplified one of these posts on its own Facebook page, adding its own red-tagging narrative. Offline harassment has also been documented, including the distribution of defamatory flyers in Dasmariñas, Cavite and within the Lupang Ramos community.
As early as 2024, Seguin began experiencing repeated cases of threats, harassment, and intimidation. Her photograph was circulated by state forces linked to the 2nd Infantry Division in Dasmariñas, Cavite, falsely branding her as part of the New People’s Army. In March 2024, police units and the 59th Infantry Battalion aimed their firearms at Seguin and KASAMA volunteers in Barangay Sampaga, Balayan, Batangas while they were conducting field research on the effects of El Niño on local farmers. Her photos were later displayed by the Silang police in farmer camps and community areas in Tartaria, accompanied by continuous monitoring conducted by NTF-ELCAC, the 2nd CMO, and Task Force Ugnay.
Harassments against Seguin did not stop at online posts and malicious mischaracterization. Seguin has been repeatedly tailed and photographed by state agents as she went about her organizing work. This surveillance heightened into more aggressive actions, including the deployment of drones over the residence where she was staying.
Seguin is a long-time organizer working closely with farmers in Southern Tagalog, helping them collectively assert their rights to land, livelihood, basic services, and human dignity. Her work is neither secret nor unlawful, despite this, she has been subjected to an escalating pattern of harassment that places her safety at serious risk.
These actions severely restrict Seguin’s ability to move freely and safely in the communities she serves. More importantly, they violate her rights to free expression, organization, and personal security. The Supreme Court, in the case of Siegfred D. Deduro in 2024, has already affirmed that red-tagging is a threat to “right to life, liberty, and security” — yet the state continues to use it as a weapon against organizers.
These attacks do not occur in isolation: they are unfolding amid a deepening crisis in which farmers remain landless, rural support is lacking, and violence in the countryside persists, while political elites continue to enjoy protection and access to public resources.
The campaign against Seguin reflects the broader role of NTF-ELCAC as an instrument of the ruling class rather than genuine peacebuilding. Billions of pesos in public funds have been funneled into its programs, such as the Barangay Development Program and E-CLIP, despite mounting questions from human rights groups, church leaders, and civil society over corruption, patronage, and lack of accountability. These funds are framed as “development,” yet are tied to militarization and political compliance instead of addressing the root causes of poverty.
Rather than investing in land reform, rural services, and livelihoods, the state prioritizes an agency whose main function has been surveillance, red-tagging, and intimidation. Public money is weaponized to silence dissent, co-opt communities, and protect entrenched interests, while ordinary farmers and organizers are treated as enemies. The bicameral conference committee has approved a whopping P8B budget for the NTF-ELCAC.
To fight for genuine land reform and a just peace based on national sovereignty and social justice is not a crime. No amount of repression will silence organizers like Jeverlyn Seguin or break the resolve of the peasant masses who continue to assert their rights!
updates from the peasant movement of the Philippines 