Members of the volunteer group were photographed and recorded during the activity without their consent.

MANILA  — A student leader and youth activist from Southern Luzon asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to intervene as he and his family were subjected to intimidation following his participation in a humanitarian relief operation in Camarines Norte.

Michael Orajay Esperanza, a student of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) and youth organizer, filed a sworn statement before the CHR explaining a pattern of red-tagging, surveillance, and questioning directed at him and his family weeks after he joined relief missions for communities affected by severe weather disturbances.

Esperanza said that the incidents began after he volunteered with The Good Samaritan (TGS), a faith-based humanitarian group that conducted relief operations in Quezon and Camarines Norte in August.

An English education student and campus journalist of The Footprints, official student publication of SLSU’s College of Teacher Education, Esperanza also participates in student and community campaigns. He is lead convenor of Rise for Education–SLSU and previously acted as spokesperson of Kabataan Partylist–Quezon.

Based on his affidavit, Esperanza joined a TGS volunteer team that visited affected communities, including Barangay Lukbanan in Capalonga and a Manide indigenous community in Barangay Guisican, Labo, Camarines Norte.

Relief mission

During the visits, Esperanza crossed paths with members of the 42nd Infantry Battalion under the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division.

He said that the volunteer team was stopped in Barangay San Antonio, Capalonga on August 12 and questioned for more than 30 minutes even if they were told that they were not prohibited from entering the area.

Several days later, during a relief distribution in Barangay Lukbanan, volunteers requested that military personnel temporarily leave the covered court where the activity was supposed to be held. Esperanza said that the request was denied, prompting organizers to transfer the distribution site outside Lukbanan Elementary School.

He said that members of the volunteer group were photographed and recorded during the activity without their consent.

Esperanza said these incidents raised concerns among volunteers, particularly because the mission involved humanitarian assistance for disaster-stricken communities.

Parents summoned

Weeks after the relief mission, Esperanza’s family allegedly became the subject of inquiries regarding his activities. On August 30, a barangay official reportedly went to their residence in Luisiana and asked for his parents. His father was instructed to go to the barangay hall but was later told to return the following day.

According to Esperanza’s affidavit, his mother later met with the barangay captain, another barangay official, and an unidentified individual.

During the meeting, she was allegedly asked if she knew her son’s whereabouts on August 12 and was shown photographs of him taken while he was in Camarines Norte.

Esperanza said that his mother also told him that she was advised to discourage him from joining similar activities and that his involvement was linked to unnamed groups.

The student leader was not present during the meeting and relied on his mother’s account in narrating the incident.

Anonymous warning

Following the meeting at the barangay hall, Esperanza’s mother allegedly received a message from a social media account using the name “Brayan Palma.”

The account, which carried a profile picture of Karl Marx, allegedly sent a message warning that the people Esperanza associated with might put him in danger.

Esperanza said that neither he nor his family knew the person behind the account. He opined that the timing of the message, coming shortly after barangay officials questioned his family about his activities, caused alarm. “The message created serious concern for my family and for my own safety.”

Seeking accountability

Esperanza said that the activities being questioned were humanitarian, civic, and volunteer initiatives intended to assist communities in need.

“The activities involved were voluntary, community-oriented, and humanitarian in nature,” he said. “To my knowledge, I committed no illegal act in participating in them.”

He has asked the CHR to document and investigate the incidents, including the identities of those involved and the basis for the questioning directed at his parents.

He also called for safeguards to ensure that any future inquiries concerning him are conducted with due process and respect for his rights.

The student leader said that he is prepared to submit photographs, screenshots, and other supporting evidence to aid any investigation. Esperanza said that he hopes the CHR inquiry would shed light on the circumstances surrounding the incidents and help protect individuals participating in legitimate community service and other activities. (RTS, DAA)

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