DAVAO CITY — The chief of the PNP Cateel Municipal Police Station in Davao Oriental has issued a public apology after the station’s official Facebook page mistakenly tagged several student leaders, activists, and progressive personalities as “ACTIVE WANTED PERSONS” in a now-deleted post that drew widespread condemnation from academic and human rights groups.
Police Major Michael Celecio, chief of police of PNP Cateel, acknowledged that the post was erroneous and clarified that the individuals identified in the post do not have existing warrants of arrest.
“Nangayo ko og pasensya sa mga involve nga personalities sa inconvenience nga nahatag sa ilaha ug sa resulta sa error sa pagposting,” Celecio said during a media interview on May 29, 2026.
“Mali ang napost nga picture didto sa among FB page. Wala po silang warrant ngayon po,” he added.
Celecio explained that the police station’s Facebook page is usually used to disseminate information regarding individuals with standing warrants and to seek public assistance in locating them. He maintained that the posting of the activists’ photos and names was unintended.
“Wala me intention ipost tu siya. Mistake lang gyud to nga napost siya sa among social media,” he said.
Following the controversy, Celecio said the station would strengthen its screening and verification process before publishing future posts on its official social media accounts.
The now-deleted Facebook post, uploaded on May 27, reportedly identified several students, alumni, and activists from Southern Mindanao as “ACTIVE WANTED PERSONS.” Included in the list were UP Mindanao student leaders Lara Felescoso, current chairperson of the UP Mindanao University Student Council, and Emmanuel “Emman” Pamaylaon, president of UP Salida.
Also named were Genesis Catalan of Anakbayan-UP Mindanao, along with several UP Mindanao alumni and activists, including Fauzhea Guiani, Cobbie Canda, Allyssa Ancheta, and Allaiza Gerodiaz.
The post immediately triggered backlash from student organizations, progressive groups, and human rights advocates, who described the incident as an act of red-tagging and accused authorities of endangering the safety and security of those identified.
In separate statements, the UP Mindanao Communicators’ Guild and the UP Mindanao University Student Council strongly condemned the incident, calling the accusations baseless and dangerous.
The Communicators’ Guild criticized what it described as the irresponsible use of authority by the police, noting that the individuals named had no court-issued warrants or legal cases attached to them.
The group also warned that labeling activists and student leaders as “wanted persons” could place them at risk of harassment and intimidation, while undermining academic freedom and freedom of expression.
Felescoso, one of the students named in the post, publicly challenged the police to provide proof supporting the accusations.
“Kahapon ay napabilang ang aking pangalan sa isang walang batayan na wanted list. Hinahamon ko ang PNP Cateel na maglabas ng totoong mga basehan sa kanilang ipinost na Active Wanted Persons,” she said in a statement posted online.
She argued that activists and progressive individuals are often targeted instead of authorities addressing social issues being raised by various sectors.
“The response is often not to address these problems, but to attack the people raising them,” she wrote, emphasizing that activism and criticism of government policies are legitimate democratic rights.
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines Mindanao administration issued an official statement on May 28 reaffirming its commitment to protecting students, faculty, and staff from “baseless public insinuation, red-tagging, or harassment.”
The university said it is conducting formal verification regarding the incident while emphasizing that due process and student welfare remain priorities.
“While the university administration is currently investigating and validating the specific details of recent reports regarding external enforcement activities, we emphasize that our commitment to due process and student welfare is absolute and immediate,” the statement read.
Human rights and youth groups have continued to express concern over the incident, warning that public accusations without legal basis may expose individuals to threats and possible harm.
Some of the activists and organizations involved have also indicated plans to explore possible legal action in response to the now-deleted post.