“Red-tagging” has been an ongoing phenominal issue in the Philippines but it intensified during the presidential administration of Duterte. Red-tagging is a form of threat and harassment to human rights defenders, political activists, lawyers, and other targeted groups affiliated with the progressive left—and farmers are no exception. Oftentimes they are labeled as “terrorist” for being critical and for voicing out the injustices they face.

Decades of legal battle on Lupang Ramos led to farmers organizing to stand their ground to fight for their right to ownership of the land they till and voice out genuine land reform and actual government support and aid. On September 26, 2024, about 100 combined military and police personel—accompanied by government personnel agencies such as Local Government Units (LGUs) and—reportedly attempted to enter Lupang Ramos through a so-called “inspection” and construction of a checkpoint along the entrance of the community in attempt to harass, intimidate, and red-tag the local peasant organization Kasama-LR.

Currently, the residents in the community prevented the entry of state forces through construction of a barricade.

The dangers of red-tagging causes multiple risks that puts the farmer’s lives in danger. According to an interview with Ka Ronnie Manalo—the general secretary of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas(KMP)—during the Duterte administration, there were 336 victims of killings in the sector of farmers with 55 missing. There were also about 22 massacres that happened during the Duterte administration alone.