ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Sunday condemned the recent red-tagging incident involving the 80th Infantry Battalion and Department of Education-Rizal.

The solon particularly questioned the distribution of pamphlets that branded students and youth as terrorists for opposing the government’s policies.

“This is a clear case of harassment and intimidation of our youth and a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court’s ruling that red-tagging is a dangerous practice that puts lives in peril. It is unacceptable that the military, and DepEd in coordination with the NTF-ELCAC, is using taxpayers’ money to spread disinformation and terrorize our students,” Castro said.

The AFP and DepEd through these flyers engage in disinformation, as they maliciously depict youth and any person imparting progressive ideas as recruiters for the NPA and therefore rebels and terrorists as defined by the government.

“We urge Congress to expedite measures banning red-tagging and punishing those who engage in this heinous activity. The government should focus on providing quality education and protecting our youth, not spreading fear and misinformation,” she added.

“The recent incident in Rizal is a clear example of the dangers of red-tagging. It is a threat not only to our youth but also to our democracy. We will not tolerate this kind of harassment and intimidation. We will continue to fight for the rights of our students and our people,” Castro further stressed.