On Tuesday morning, Geraldine Po was opening Popular Bookstore, the independent book shop known to carry political and progressive titles, when she was greeted by a vandalized storefront.
The words “NPA Terorista (NPA Terrorists” sprayed in red were all over the facade — implying that the decades-old bookstore, which opened in 1945, and its owners had ties to the New People’s Army, the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), dubbed by the United States as a terrorist organization.
“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,” the bookstore’s social media statement read.
Red-tagging incidents — publicly labeling individuals, mostly activists, as communist rebels on baseless accusations — have existed since 1969, as the Marcos government cracked down against the CPP. Yet this practice of red-tagging has long cost the security and the lives of journalists, activists, civic leaders, and ordinary citizens through the decades.
Geraldine said that she was “dismayed and exasperated” by the act — this was not the first time Popular Bookstore had been targeted by authorities, and Geraldine shared that their red-tagging history dates back to Martial Law days, when the store was being run by her father, Joaquin Po, a known anti-Marcos businessman.
“When the store was being managed by my father, Joaquin Po, he was questioned as to why the bookstore was selling books by Marx, Lenin, and Mao. His reply (was), because those were the books that were sellable,” Geraldine told Coconuts, adding that three-fourths of the bookshelves were filled with titles on philosophy, art, history, and science, just like today.
Geraldine believed that red-taggers continue to perpetrate their acts to silence dissent and discourage critical thinking. “Red-taggers do not want people to think, to be analytical. They just want people to be followers, to be on the ‘safe side,’ so that there will be no critical opposition to their political and economic agendas.”
Still, the bookstore manager and owner had some pretty spicy words for these alleged red-taggers: “They do not read. If the vandals read local leftist books, they will know that there are no NPAs in Quezon City.”
As to how Geraldine chooses to move forward from this, she shared that she will be reporting the incident to authorities and carrying on with business as usual. “We are a small, struggling enterprise, a quiet type of business whose clients chose to be in a corner by themselves and browse or read books.”
“I’d like to think that bookstores are peaceful spaces. It is ironic that Popular Bookstore will be tagged (as) ‘terorista’.”
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