These arrests only serve to worsen the already worrisome state of human rights.

CABUYAO CITY, Laguna – Two community organizers were arrested by combined elements of the police and military in Barangay San Isidro, Cabuyao City, Laguna province, July 30.

Cristine Pasion and Binay Serrano were undergoing medical treatment when soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) 68th and 203rd Infantry Battalions (IB), aided by elements of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Regional Mobile Force Battalion Region 4A and PNP San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, reportedly broke open the door of their apartment and arrested them, approximately 6:00 a.m.

Human rights alliance Karapatan Laguna condemned the arrest, stressing that “there is nothing new about [the state’s] modus in branding activists and human rights defenders as members of the [New People’s Army or] NPA to arrest and deny them their rights.”

“These arrests only serve to worsen the already worrisome state of human rights in Mindoro, while serving to the advantage of large mining, land-use conversion, and eco-tourism interests in the island.,” the group said in its statement.

Pasion and Serrano are community organizers based in Mindoro. Pasion is a Filipino-American activist who decided to organize peasant communities in Mindoro to “deepen her connection to her motherland,” according to Karapatan. Serrano, a native Mangyan from Mindoro, was forced to leave the island following “intense militarization” of their community.

The military, however, claimed that Pasion and Serrano were NPA members. Statements from the 2nd Infantry Division said that Pasion was part of the January 1 massacre in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro that left four dead and resulted in the abduction and arrest of Filipino-American activist Chantal Anicoche. Serrano, meanwhile, was charged with murder.

As of press time, Serrano’s whereabouts are unknown. Despite initial reports of Serrano and Pasion being taken into custody by the Cabuyao City police, Karapatan Laguna said that both the Cabuyao PNP and the PNP Region 4A headquarters in Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba City denied any knowledge about Serrano. Meanwhile, Pasion is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and has contacted her lawyer.

News of Pasion and Serrano’s arrest came after reports of an encounter between state forces and the NPA in Barangay Del Pilar, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. According to Karapatan Southern Tagalog, at least three supposed NPA fighters were killed in action while residents were forced to evacuate by tanks.

Karapatan said that civilian rights must be respected during “times of armed conflict,” particularly stressing that Serrano’s rights are being violated “the longer she stays unreachable to legal counsel.” The group has called on the Commission on Human Rights to conduct an investigation while condemning the military and police for their “callous disrespect of human rights.” (AMU, DAA)

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