Ceeka has been transferred to the San Jose District Jail, where she will remain while her case remains pending.
CABUYAO, Laguna — For Maria Mayla “Mayi” Garzon, the days surrounding her daughter’s arrest unfolded with disorienting speed, leaving little time to fully grasp what was happening, and even less time to respond.
“We had just left Mindoro when we received the commitment order for her transfer to San Jose,” Garzon said in an interview with Bulalat.
Her daughter Charlize “Ceeka” Garzon is now detained at the San Jose District Jail in Occidental Mindoro, facing trump-up charges of illegal possession of explosives, attempted murder, frustrated murder, and murder.
Authorities have linked Ceeka to an alleged encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on March 29 in Sitio Salafay, Barangay Monteclaro, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The incident reportedly resulted in the death of Captain Dean Buen Oyando and left two soldiers wounded during pursuit operations.
According to Garzon, the charges came swiftly after her daughter’s arrest.
“On March 29, she was already detained, then charges were filed just before office hours ended on March 30,” she said. “The next day was Holy Week, so we had to stay there longer.”
The timing, she said, prolonged their stay in Mindoro and limited their ability to immediately respond to the legal developments.
Red-tagging and harassment
Even before they could process the charges, the family encountered hostility.
“When we arrived in Mindoro with the humanitarian team, we were immediately met with a ‘peace rally’ where we were being red-tagged,” Garzon said. “They were driving us away. I was called a complicit mother.”
Red-tagging, long flagged by human rights groups as dangerous, has often preceded threats, harassment, and arrests.
For Garzon, the experience was both confusing and infuriating. “Personally, I was angry at first since I didn’t really understand what was happening,” she said. “I really wanted to answer them back but I tried to calm myself.”
Support amid uncertainty
With her daughter now detained, Garzon has turned to gathering support to sustain their legal battle.
The situation has taken an emotional toll on the family, compounded by what she described as a difficult humanitarian mission. “Actually, when I was there, it felt very unproductive. I’m only now starting to recover because I’m back with my family,” she said.
For Garzon, the accusations against her daughter stand in stark contrast to the person she knows. “Charlize is my youngest child. I call her sugar. She is a quiet child, an introvert. […] She loves the arts, from elementary to senior high school. When it was time for college, we inquired at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, there was a scholarship, and she got it.”
She said, “Ceeka loves writing poetry, actually, her vocabulary is even broader than mine.”
Friends and classmates, according to Garzon, saw her daughter as someone principled and compassionate. “They saw how compassionate and brave she is, and how serious she is about the causes she stands for.”
These convictions extended even into everyday life. “She would often tell us which brands we should boycott, those that support wars in other countries, even certain coffee shops,” Garzon said.
Calls for release
Ceeka has been transferred to the San Jose District Jail, where she will remain while her case remains pending. Human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog said that while the transfer has ensured her safety for now, the broader struggle continues.
The group is calling for her immediate release and for accountability from the military’s 2nd Infantry Division, 68th Infantry Battalion, and 203rd Infantry Brigade over alleged human rights violations in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. (RTS, DAA)
The post Mother decries arrest, detention of artist-activist daughter appeared first on Bulatlat.
From Bulatlat via This RSS Feed.