Bayan Central Visayas characterized the incident as a targeted attack on progressive leadership intended to stifle dissent and intimidate grassroots activists.
(1st update) CEBU – The Cebu-based activist and Makabayan Vice President for Visayas John Ruiz was reportedly arrested by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Monday, August 31, shortly after participating in a National Heroes Day protest at the University of the Philippines Cebu.
He posted bail on September 2, according to Karapatan-Central Visayas, and is now temporarily released.
Various sectoral groups gathered on Monday to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). Protesters called for the abrogation of the MDT, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), asserting that these pacts facilitate a permanent US military presence and unfettered access to Philippine facilities.
Participants also voiced strong opposition to the Philippines’ involvement in Pax Silica, a US-led strategic initiative focusing on cooperation in artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Central Visayas warned that the initiative could further expose the nation’s resources, infrastructure, and strategic industries to foreign exploitation.
Read: Why Pax Silica is bad for the Philippines
Throughout the protest, speakers emphasized the need for an independent foreign policy, national industrialization, and a self-reliant defense posture, while denouncing what they described as U.S.-led military intervention and economic exploitation.
The protest concluded at approximately 5:20 p.m. As participants began to disperse, progressive organizations reported that Ruiz was intercepted and taken into custody by alleged CIDG agents.
Civil society groups and progressive organizations across Cebu swiftly condemned the arrest, demanding Ruiz’s immediate release.
Bayan Central Visayas characterized the incident as a targeted attack on progressive leadership intended to stifle dissent and intimidate grassroots activists.
“These attacks expose how state machinery is being used not to defend the interests of the broad masses, but to suppress opposition and protect the interests of the ruling elite,” the group said.
Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) also denounced the move, highlighting Ruiz’s consistent advocacy for workers’ rights, including campaigns for a living wage and the end of contractualization.
“John Ruiz has stood with workers in pushing for higher wages, regularization, and their rights. AMA SUGBO-KMU condemns this malicious act perpetuated by state forces. We demand for his immediate release,” the labor group said.
Kabataan Partylist Cebu and the League of Filipino Students-Cebu added their voices to the outcry, describing the arrest as a blatant violation of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and assembly.
Pattern of legal harassment
Advocacy groups pointed to Ruiz’s history of facing legal challenges as evidence of a broader pattern of legal harassment directed at activists.
In December 2023, the Armed Forces of the Philippines filed frustrated homicide charges against Ruiz and fellow activist Jhonggie Rumol. The charges stemmed from a purported armed encounter with the New People’s Army in Toboso, Negros Occidental, in April of that year.
Ruiz has categorically denied the allegations, maintaining he was in Cebu City at the time of the reported encounter. The human rights group Karapatan has labeled the charges as fabricated, asserting they are intended to penalize Ruiz for his opposition to privatization and development projects that displace marginalized communities.
Furthermore, Ruiz is among six individuals charged with violation of Batas Pambansa Blg. 880 (The Public Assembly Act of 1985) following an anti-corruption protest in September 2025. That demonstration, held at the DPWH Cebu City District Engineering Office, demanded transparency regarding flood-control project irregularities. Rights groups maintain this case is yet another attempt to criminalize legitimate political activity.
Ruiz’s arrest occurred amid intensifying state pressure on community leaders and organizations advocating for social justice, raising profound concerns about the diminishing space for democratic engagement in the region.
More judicial harassment against Cebu activists
Included in the same warrant of arrest used against Ruiz is Jhonggie Rumol and Dyan Gumanao. Karapatan Central Visayas raised the alarm over the charges against the two as they did not receive copies of complaint or subpoena.
Ruiz, Rumol and Gumanao are facing attempted murder charges filed in Mimamaylan City, Negros Occidental. The warrant of arrest was issued by Judge Walter Zorilla of Regional Trial Court Branch 55 in January 2024. The bail was set at P120,000 ($1921) each.
Gumanao is a human rights defender and survivor of abduction and enforced disappearance. In 2023, she and her partner, Armand Dayoha, were abducted in broad daylight at one of the busiest ports in Cebu City, subjected to interrogation and psychological torture, and coerced into signing documents for their supposed “surrender.” She is the current vice chairperson of Hustisya! Pagkakaisa ng mga Biktima para sa Hustisya (Victims United for Justice).
Rumol is the former executive director of the Visayas Human Development Agency (ViHDA) and now is serving as its consultant. He has previously faced repeated persecution for her work as a community development worker. She was among the 27 community development workers charged in the CERNET 27 financing terrorism case, which was dismissed in 2026.
Kapatid, a support group of families and friends political prisoners slammed the cost of bail saying that the “judicial machinery should never have been used to weaponize a cross-regional warrant from Negros Occidental to disrupt his legitimate socio-civic work in Cebu.”
“Forcing an activist to post a P120,000 bond for a completely fabricated attempted murder case is a form of state extortion and harassment. And pursuing another case against Dyan Gumanao, a human rights defender and survivor of a traumatic state-backed abduction and interrogation in Cebu City in 2023, is a blatant mockery of justice,” the group said in a statement.
The group demanded for the judiciary to reduce the bail of Gumanao and Rumol; review their case and order its immediate dismissal.
“Securing bail is a small victory against state repression, but true justice for John Ruiz, Jhonggie Rumol, and Dyan Gumanao will only be achieved when these weaponized, trumped-up charges are completely dropped,” Kapatid said. (With reports from Anne Marxze D. Umil) (RVO)
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