The waft of the breeze hits your face as you run towards the other side. Patintero has never been your favored game. You always say that "running is too tiring" or "the concrete is too hot" but it was never the reason— it's the jokes; how slow you run, how bad you dodge, how you almost never win.
But you are running, because they are your friends and banter is only a common thing amongst a group of people. The lines you all cross are nothing but chalks on a pavement.
It's all good.
The next game you play is something you are better in: Pitik-bulag. You have mastered the flick, the number-guessing, and the placement of your hand above your eyes. In you and your friend's vibrating excitement, they accidentally flick your eye— it hurts.
One of your friends jokes, and everyone laughs. Now, the sting seems insignificant because you felt like a line was crossed: hurt. And if they can laugh at your pain, how about the others'?
On November 29, Danilo Arao, a prolific educator in journalism shared his plight about circulating posts using red-tagging as a punchline. He wrote, "Perhaps in the very distant future this should be funny. Right now it's not. (You should know why.)"
On the following day, multi-sectoral groups marked Bonifacio Day with their calls of protest included unionized workers, student-journalists, labor groups, activists, and other more marginalized sectors who are all vulnerable to red-tagging.
f there were real people who get hurt by the words we only see as jokes like in a children's game, should everyone laugh?
In the Beginning, Fascism was Created
Contrary to the belief of many, red-tagging did not originate from the past macho-feudal administration of Duterte. The idea came from the deep rooted tactic of fascism which was brought by colonial minds who instilled neoliberal thought: The Spanish and American rule.
By the time the Soviet Union was formed, the Philippines was already bought by America from Spain. This effectively made the country an American colony— and being their colony meant the country's mind, culture, and identity were subdued.
One of the propagandas that was passed to the Philippines was the Red Scare, the demonization of communist, socialist, or any left-leaning ideologies in the hopes of spreading hysteria amongst their citizens. It was essentially a fear tactic to battle the perceived threat of radicalization of their constituents and squash the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
However, similar today, the qualifications on who these "Reds" are still flimsy at best as the definition is arbitrary. There is a common set of ideals used to "define" or group these people. Examples of these are joining labor unions, fighting for indigenous' rights, championing for farmers' rights, vocal opposition to the government, and many others that target journalists, activists, scholars, and even day-to-day workers by tagging them and removing their democratic rights.
If these are what the "Reds" are fighting for, then why are they being silenced? Why are they thrown in jail, or worse, stripped of their lives? Because when activists champion for these causes, they are opposing the abuses the government itself is upholding. The tyrants are utilizing the propagandized response to the Red Scare to vilify them and justify the use of force.
In the Philippines, this fascist playbook is rampant. During the regime of the late dictator Marcos, he utilized the existence of the CPP-NPA as a cause for the declaration of martial law— the decision that led to the dark days of the country. Up to this day, the Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB) reported that there were 75,730 victims of martial law.
These happenings mirrored the Duterte regime where the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018 was founded, flagging the imminent red scare once again. On top of that was the drug-war spearheaded by the administration which reported 5,903 drug-war casualties, recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
However, based on a report in the same year by the United Nations Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights (UN OHCHR), the numbers are actually 8,663 extrajudicial killings. Moreover, many of those unaccounted deaths were the killing of activists, community leaders, indigenous leaders, journalists, and lawyers in the guise of an imminent "drug-war."
Currently, these household names have joined forces to uphold the tyranny their fathers started. In the new Marcos-Duterte regime, they have continued to tighten the ropes; NTF-ELCAC is given an enormous budget to keep on red-tagging activists and progressives while the administration hushes about their prevailing involvement with the war on drugs.
Not to mention the impending militarization in and out of schools: railroading of the Mandatory ROTC and the enormous proposed budget for the military which aims to instill the culture of oppression towards the masses.
So when the impunity is deep-seated in our culture and politics, how are we supposed to see the line we cannot cross?
The Political Road Chickens Cross
Political satire has always been congruent with Filipino culture. This can be seen from the abundance of politicians being used by comedians for impersonation. A notable example of this is Willy Nepomuceno, a comedian known for his funny impersonations of the former presidents: late dictator Marcos Sr., Erap, Noynoy, and Duterte.
Nepomuceno's work is recognized by activists as he performs these acts at rallies—building a bridge between jokes and the plights of the masses. Another example is the satirization of politicians and their questionable politics used by activists in social media with the same thinking of building a bridge, and persuading those who still have reservations about fighting for their rights.
But how does this kind of comedy differ from the red-tagging jokes? The short answer is minimal. Just like impersonation, the memes become shields to detach from the impunities of the nation and a way to connect to the masses. However, red-tagging jokes miss the point of satire. Satire must expose the topic's impunity in an ironic joke instead of glamorizing life-threatening matters.
Imagine the game of patintero: We, the players, are the ones who draw the lines. But on a national scale, these lines are made by societal expectations. Today, the white chalk is tainted by the lives of those who've played before; Killed by the taggers who were supposed to only stagger their cross. Because as we know, the problem of red-tagging is perpetuated by the same people who swore to protect its people.
And while some do recognize the comedic nature of those jokes, the imperative to call out and correct the tone is not uncalled for. There is a boundary people cannot cross as red-tagging jokes equals whitewashing the atrocities; a clear-cut case of washing off the blood from the pavement.
So, we are drawing the line in-between the atrocities; separate the joke and memes from the mocking by punching up to those who belittle us. Beyond the creation of the line is our stand to protect those who are victimized by the state.
To Be or Not to Be? That is the Tragedy
Knowing where the line is for jokes means knowing what happens in closed doors. Since this knowledge costs people— their sanity, money, careers, and most often their lives.
In a very recent tragedy, Percival Mabasa, commonly known as Percy Lapid, a news anchor and broadcaster was shot dead following his critical opinions about the new administration. He was the second journalist killed during the Marcos' presidency, while the first one was Renato Blanco, another radio reporter.
And on Sultan Kudarat, Benharl Kahil, a teacher, was shot dead in a suspected threat to freedom of expression as he was also an editorial cartoonist who was critical of the government.
The numbers answer the question; the lives strewn on the streets where we used to play is the awakening: this current administration will prolong the vehement misuse of power. Sooner or later, names of individuals who fight for our democratic rights may only be numbers on a statistic showing the impunity Filipinos have already seen.
Therefore, the line must be drawn between joke and mock after knowing why the boundary should exist. Because the line will use the blood the state spilled—of Percy Lapid, Renato Blanco, Benharl Kahil, and of every single individual they red-tagged and buried.
Those who deal with life with their hands above their eyes will cost only their worldview, and when one's worldview is met with reality, they will reach nuance. The worst that could happen to them is enlightenment, how ironic is that?
But those who are violently flicked into reality by someone who's supposed to protect you; Martyrs whose lives were lost because they were brave enough to cross the line without stepping on it, will never have their lives and innocence back.
We should stop treating red-tagging as a joke and more importantly, push against it. Because one day, the names are going to be familiar; Like the mixed smell of sweat, and humid wind, playing a game we never even liked.
We must understand that to point this out is not tone policing but a reminder that red-tagging is a tool of oppression used by every tyrant. And in doing so, we must realize that the only solution is to canvass the streets that we once populated with agitation and optimism.
: Gerald Graciano
: Jieu Vien Cablaida
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