Gamit ang spray paint, mga salitang “NPA TERORISTA” ang naipinta at tumambad sa pinto ng isang independent bookstore sa Quezon City nitong Martes, Marso 22.
“As we opened our store this morning, this message greeted us (see pix). Our reaction was not fear. It was more of dismay and exasperation,” paglalahad ng management ng Popular Bookstore sa isang Facebook post nitong Martes.
Dagdag nila, ang mga aklat ay hindi bala at bomba at sa halip ay sumasalamin ang mga ito sa kasaysayan at kultura.
“Books are not bullets and bombs. Books are for education and enlightenment. It is a repository of history and culture. It is what differentiates humankind from animals,” saad nito.
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Sa kabila ng tahasang panre-redtag, umaasa pa rin ang nasabing bookstore sa patuloy na pagtangkilik at suporta ng kanilang parokyano.
“To our Clients & Friends, we thank you for your patronage and hope for your continuous support.”
Sa huli, iginiit nito na isang “Bookseller to Booklovers” ang kanilang espasyo.
Samantala, dismayado at galit namang nagbahagi ng pahayag ang mga tagasuporta ng Popular Bookstore sa comment section nito.
“Horrible! When I was a Philosophy student, with Marxist Philosophy as a subject in a Catholic University, I bought some of my reference books on Marx and Communism from the store in Doroteo Jose. And never did I think that the shop was a red front but rather an institution in the aid of further education and study. This red-tagging so common nowadays is to be condemned,” saad ng isang parokyano.
“This bookstore simply holds many different kinds of books that support and criticize different perspectives and schools of Philippine thought… from Duterte, the Aquinos, communism, democracy… anyone can see them. The perpetrators might as well vandalize National Bookstore and every single Philippine library that holds such a breadth of perspectives on their shelves. Good luck with that,” tila sarkastikong mungkahi ng isa pang tagasuporta ng bookstore.
“This is unacceptable. Kawawa din sa mga gumawa nyan, walang natutunan. Pero need nilang pagbayaran yan.”
“Dyan ako nabili ng hard to find engineering books noong nagaaral pa ako sa MAPUA!”
“This horrible and contemptible!!! Most probably done by ignorant pitiable creatures.”
Matatandaang mariing kinukundena ng ilang human rights group kabilang ang Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang tahasang pan-re-redtag sa ilang grupo, institusyon dahil nilalagay nito sa alanganin ang buhay ng mga sangkot na indibidwal.
