LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY – “Tuloy ang serbisyo. Tuloy ang pagmamalasakit,” TABI Executive Director Aubrey Verzosa said while questioning what was wrong with their community development work since they are being targeted by the state forces.

Tarabang para sa Bicol, Inc. (TABI), pioneer in community-based disaster management in the Bicol Region, continues to provide services to vulnerable communities amid the recent red-tagging and harassment of its staff and consultant. The group was alarmed over the circulation of malicious posters in several cities and municipalities across Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur on November 30, linking the victims to the New People’s Army (NPA).

Verzosa was among the names mentioned in the red-tagging posters. The other targets were their Bicol Farmers School (BFS) Training Coordinator and Consultant Dr. Rose Sambo; and TABI staff member Sherra Buen who was also subjected to surveillance, suspicious visits, and intimidation near her home and within her community.

According to TABI, the malicious information baselessly associates TABI personnel with groups with which they are not affiliated. “The posters not only falsely label these individuals but also unjustly group them with leaders of other legitimate sectoral organizations. Such actions are irresponsible, dangerous, and place development workers and their families at risk.”

On December 4, TABI delivered and distributed relief food packs to the 617 families affected by the typhoon from Brgy. Bitaogan in Presentacion, Brgy. Sagrada and Brgy. Salvacion in Garchitorena in Camarines Sur.

These communities were challenging to reach, according to TABI.

“Brgy. Bitaogan required transporting the goods across the sea, while the two barangays in Garchitorena could only be accessed through steep and difficult mountain roads. With strong coordination from Brgy. Bitaogan, local volunteers and boat owners helped ferry and haul the relief goods to ensure they reached the residents. In Garchitorena since the TABI truck could not make the climb from Presentacion, the LGU and MDRRMO deployed their own truck and volunteers to help transport the relief to the two remote barangays,” Verzosa said. “These relief packs came from generous donations of individuals who responded to TABI’s call for help after Supertyphoon Uwan struck Bicol and heavily affected the Partido area.”

Garchitorena Mayor Nelson Dianela Bueza said, “The aid from the private individuals is not being politicized and the donor itself chose its beneficiaries.”

“It is another proof that we will not be swayed or affected by any intimidation, harassment, or red-tagging,” Verzosa said.

On December 5, Verzosa’s team filed their affidavits in the Commission on Human Rights CHR) in the region.

BAYAN Bicol said that the regional CHR should monitor the threats and provide protection if necessary to the victims who seek their assistance. “Don’t let the attacks of the victims stay on paper and hide documents without holding the guilty accountable. Whoever distributed the fake pamphlets should be held accountable.”

“The fake posters are an old style of the state forces to spread disinformation to the public to sow fear, division, and defamation; and possible harm and murder against named individuals,” BAYAN Chair Jen Nagrampa said. “The people whose pictures and names were used in the fake posters are civilians, patriots, and human rights advocates who do work beneficial to the people.”

Red-tagging TABI

On May 2, Malacañang Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed Memorandum Circular 83 which requires the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to lead the implementation of the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025-2028. This is considered the “blueprint” of Marcos Jr. administration in its counterinsurgency policy.

BAYAN-Bicol accused NTF-ELCAC of being behind the series of red-tagging in the anti-corruption action on November 30. “The red-tagging is the NTF-ELCAC’s dirty tactic in connivance with the bureaucrat–capitalists. Its purpose is to silence critics of the government and stop the human rights advocates and development workers in providing genuine services for the vulnerable communities,” the group said.

“The entire leadership of TABI firmly denounces these baseless accusations and the ongoing attempts to intimidate development workers who have dedicated themselves to genuine, selfless public service,” Verzosa said. She has experience in community development work, including two years on TABI’s Board of Trustees before assuming leadership. Under her term, TABI expanded its reach across nearly all Bicol provinces from 2022 to the present.

“Executive Director Verzosa has a long record in engaging with the community development efforts in service of the marginalized, spearheading efforts in capacitating farmers to be self-reliant and sufficient,” Climate Change Network for Community-based Initiatives (CCNCI) said.

Sambo, a faculty member of Sorsogon State University–Castilla Campus (SORSU-Castilla), has been a TABI consultant since 2017. She is an advocate for community engagement and empowerment. Her expertise has been pivotal in the development and ongoing strengthening of the Bicol Farmers School (BFS), in partnership with SORSU and other state universities and colleges in the region.

“As faculty member of a State University, she is mandated to advocate for and participate in extension services, directly helping the government achieve its goals of poverty reduction, community empowerment, and service to underserved communities,” Bicol Veterinary Medical Association said. “Her work is part of this mandate and should never be twisted into something malicious.”

Sherra Buen, meanwhile, has been with TABI’s regional disaster response operations. She was Project Officer for TABI’s initiative, “Promoting Bio-Engineered Vetiver Grass Seawalls as a More Cost Effective, Participatory, and Sustainable Approach to Increasing Storm Surge and Typhoon Resilience among Coastal Communities in Albay,” and currently serves as CCNCI’s Solidagro Project Technical Staff.

“She aided TABI in their numerous initiatives most recently in responding to the aftermath of the climate-induced disasters that are faced by their community,” CCNCI said.

Community-based group

CCNCI is an ally of TABI-BFS in its fight against the worsening climate crisis through the advancement of agroecology as a means to achieve climate adaptation since 2022.

BFS trains farmer-technicians who will help promote and expand agroecology practices in Bicol. This initiative aims to strengthen sustainable agriculture, empower local food producers, and build resilient communities through science based and community-driven agricultural education.

“It is disservice to their cause and the communities they have aided that they are vilified instead of supported by a government that has weaponized the volatile narrative of their armed institutions in order to silence and paralyze organizations that have much longer track record of service to the public than those who claim to prioritize national security,” said Dr. Virginia Talens, executive director of CCNCI.

TABI led major disaster response efforts, including the phreatic eruption of Mt. Bulusan, the Mayon Volcano eruption, recurring annual floods and typhoons, and the impacts of El Niño.

The group’s response operations were made possible through collaboration with local and international partners, close coordination with LGUs, especially MDRRMOs, active engagement of TABI’s Disaster Preparedness Committees (DPC), mobilization of Tarabang Youth volunteers, and continuous communication with survivors and affected communities.

“At a time when accountability must be demanded of those responsible for large-scale corruption and the misuse of public funds, it is unacceptable that humanitarian and community-based organizations are instead being targeted, discredited, and placed at risk,” Verzosa said.

“It is evident that the priorities of our government remain misaligned. The abundance of NGOs who face the same challenges and threats to their operations is a telling sign that our government remains committed to muzzling those that account for the gaps in their leadership,” Talens said.

TABI called for an end to all forms of red-tagging and harassment. The group also urged authorities to uphold the safety, rights, and protection of development workers and community volunteers across the region.

“The public should be critical and stand with those who are being attacked and forced to silence by the State. Government institutions must identify and hold accountable those behind the spread of the fake posters,” Nagrampa said. (DAA)