“The mission of the church and civil society to serve, protect, and uplift the marginalized is not a threat to the state but a contribution to justice, peace, and the common good.”
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Almost four years have passed, but 51-year-old church worker Aldeem Yañez remains behind prison walls.
Faith-based and human rights groups calling for his freedom slammed his prolonged detention, saying it resonates with the injustice faced by human rights workers and activists in the country.
Recently, placards that highlighted calls for his immediate release were seen during the 124th anniversary of the Union Obrera Democratica, the first modern trade union federation in the country, in February of this year.
A petition was also sent to Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the same month urging him to release Yañez and other political prisoners who were unjustly detained. Various priests and representatives from local and international churches and faith-based organizations signed the petition during an international consultation held this year.
“… [T]he mission of the church and civil society to serve, protect, and uplift the marginalized is not a threat to the state but a contribution to justice, peace, and the common good,” a part of the petition reads.
State security forces arrested Yañez in his residence in Barangay Iponan, Cagayan de Oro, on April 10, 2022, after the alleged recovery of a cal. 45 pistol and explosives during a search, which was denied by his family.
The Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division claimed that the church worker was a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), allegedly doing underground work in Bukidnon province.
His family belied the accusations, saying that Yañez, aside from being a church and development worker for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), had been taking care of their sick father for months before the arrest.
The April 2022 arrest was not his first time. On July 4, 2018, Yañez was among the 13 church workers and activists arrested in General Santos City for alleged obstruction of justice, as state forces aimed to serve an arrest warrant against three certain individuals, whose names were unknown to them.
They were released on bail after a few days.
As of November 2025, human rights alliance Karapatan documented a total of 696 individuals in the country reportedly arrested for their political beliefs and actions, of which 163 were under the Marcos Jr. administration.
‘Weapon of resistance’
Yañez finished his high school at Liceo de Cagayan University. He also took his tertiary education at the same institution under the Electronics and Communication Engineering program.
According to his brother, Fr. June Mark, he was diligent in his studies and very active in extra-curricular activities, particularly in table tennis and choral club. He was also involved in youth development.
From 1999 to 2002, he served as president of the Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (YIFI). During these years, he also represented the youth in the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). He also became part of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines.
He was not able to finish college. Fr. June Mark told Bulatlat that his brother did not want to attend his classes on Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), as he totally opposed the program.
Moreover, Yañez served as a volunteer at IFI’s Visayas-Mindanao Regional Office for Development and the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, a network advocating for the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
Being a music enthusiast, church people knew Yañez for his song compositions driven by his faith and service to the people. He linked his passion for music to church ministry through his involvement in the IFI National Committee on Liturgy and Music from 2018 to 2020.
Hence, his family called the guitar his “weapon of resistance” as an activist, and not firearms and bullets as allegedly seized by the state.
Placing him behind bars did not prevent him from fulfilling his passion and willingness to serve.
In November 2024, a musical album titled Gawasnon (Freedom): Songs of Struggle, Freedom, and Hope was launched during the IFI’s fourth National Clergy Convocation. The songbook, according to the IFI Central Office, consists of 50 songs composed by Yañez, most of them written behind bars.
A copy of Aldeem Yañez’s album titled Gawasnon (Freedom): Songs of Struggle, Freedom, and Hope. Photo from IFI Central Office’s Facebook page
Among the pieces included were Katutubong Simbahan, ‘Di Mapapawi, at Bahay Mo Ba ‘To?—songs that reflect people’s faith, resistance, and concern for the nation.
In April 2025, Yañez joined his two brothers in the IFI clergy after he was ordained Deacon of the Church inside Lumbia City Jail.
‘Trumped-up charges’
Aside from charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives, Yañez, who is currently detained at Lumbia City Jail in Cagayan de Oro, is also facing a terrorism financing case—reportedly filed on August 15, 2022, four months after his arrest.
These are the common charges faced by activists and human rights defenders, including church and development workers, who are accused of being connected to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Yañez’s terrorism financing case was transferred from Lanao del Norte Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 1 in Iligan City to Taguig RTC Branch 266 after it was raffled. The State’s motion to transfer the accused’s detention to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City due to “national security considerations” was also granted by the Taguig court on February 9, 2026.
Included in the motion to transfer were Yañez’s co-accused Emilio Gabales and Aileen Villarosa. According to Karapatan, the three were part of the 16 individuals—collectively known as the NMR 16—indicted for allegedly making available funds to the CPP-NPA.
Their legal team filed a motion on February 26, 2026, asking the Taguig court to reconsider its decision, arguing that the change of venue does not need a change of place of detention. Lawyers also stated that the so-called national security concerns were not substantially justified.
Moreover, charges of Yañez related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives are still being heard at Misamis Oriental RTC Branch 41 in Cagayan de Oro. The conduct of cross-examination for the defense’s witnesses will be held on March 11, 2026.
Church groups expressed concerns about the continuing weaponization of laws against dissenters, including church workers.
In 2021, administrators and staff of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Haran, Davao City, faced child abuse raps for accommodating children and their families. An IFI Ilocos church worker, on the other hand, was charged with terrorism financing in October 2024.
These charges, however, were dismissed for lack of evidence.
Marielle Domequil, church worker from the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Eastern Visayas, who is currently detained at the Tacloban City Jail, was convicted for terrorism financing in January this year, together with her co-accused, journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio. Their legal team appealed the decision.
Petition signatories called on the Marcos Jr. administration to stop the criminalization of faith-based development workers, including activists advocating for human rights and environmental protection. (RVO)
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