PROGRESSIVE organizations are urging the Philippine government to release the Agusan 6 and other political prisoners as the country marks International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2025.
Karapatan–Southern Mindanao Region (SMR), Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda-SMR), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-SMR), Kilusang Mayo Uno, and the Free Agusan Network said politicians implicated in anomalous ghost projects remain free while activists continue to languish behind bars.
Fe Salino, secretary general of Selda-SMR, said around 42 political prisoners remain detained in various prisons across Mindanao, including the Agusan 6. Many face what she called trumped-up charges, prolonged court proceedings, and harsh living conditions.
“Ang bureaucratic na process sa pag atiman sa ilang kaso mao na akoang gi-ingon kaganina maglisod atiman sa ilang kaso, maningkamot ang mga abugado na magtabang para lang ang pamilya ma-tagamtagaman ang unsa man ang update sa ilang mga ancak, igsoon, or mga political prisoners na mga aktibista (The bureaucratic process in handling their cases makes it difficult to provide proper attention. “Lawyers strive to help so families can at least receive updates on their children, siblings, or political prisoners who are activists)," Salino said Friday, December 5, at a press conference.
The group highlighted individual cases, including Zaldy “Ka Jinggoy” Cañete, a peasant organizer who suffered severe injuries in a 2018 encounter and was later deemed mentally unfit for trial due to neuro-cognitive impairment. Despite his condition, he remains in detention and faces multiple pending criminal charges.
Porferio Tuna, 60, a peace consultant, was arrested in 2024 while recovering from medical treatment. He is held at BJMP Canocotan, facing charges of rebellion and attempted homicide. Rachel Daguman, a peasant and Indigenous peoples’ organizer, was arrested in 2019 during post-surgery recovery and remains detained at BJMP Maa on charges of illegal firearms possession and multiple counts of murder.
Charisse “Chaba” Bañez, a youth and student leader from UP Los Baños and former UP Student Regent, was active in national democratic organizing and later worked with peasant communities in Mindanao. She was arrested on June 13, 2025, as part of the Agusan 6, facing charges of illegal possession of explosives, attempted murder, and firearms violations. Arrested alongside her was Louvaine Erika “Beng” Espina, a young activist and full-time community organizer, who was also detained in 2025.
The groups also cited the enforced disappearance of William Lariosa, a labor organizer allegedly abducted on April 10, 2024, in Bukidnon after years of harassment.
Rauf Sissay, Bayan-SMR secretariat member, criticized what he described as “two sides of a rotten system”: rampant corruption and political repression. He said billions are taken by corrupt politicians while communities fighting for land, wages, and dignity are arrested and monitored.
The group encouraged the public to join their call for justice for political prisoners and victims of violence. They announced that they would hold an activity in line with the nationwide movement on December 10, 2025, in commemoration of Human Rights Day. RGP