Iloilo groups press release of political prisoners

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By Juliane Judilla

ILOILO CITY — Human rights groups and families of detainees staged a picket protest Thursday, April 16, in front of the Hall of Justice in Iloilo City to call for the immediate release of political prisoners nationwide.

The protest was led by Panay Alliance Karapatan and Kapatid-Panay and marked the seventh year since the arrest of Remy Diaz, a member of the Tumandok nga Mangunguma nga Nagapangapin sa Duta Kag Kabuhi organization, whose supporters say was charged with fabricated offenses.

The groups said that on April 16, 2019, Diaz, then 21, was charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives and violation of the election gun ban in Barangay Masaroy, Calinog, Iloilo.

They alleged that Diaz and his family were asleep when soldiers from the 61st Infantry Battalion arrived and threatened him, his elderly father, and his brother.

They also alleged that Lt. De Vera, whom they identified as the commanding officer, fired a pistol several times at the ground and accused the three of being members of the New People’s Army.

The groups further alleged that soldiers brought out a large bag containing guns, bullets, grenades, boots, slippers, and other items that they claimed belonged to Diaz.

They said soldiers later fired their rifles into the air, which supporters described as an apparent attempt to simulate a firefight.

Kapatid-Panay, a group composed of family members and friends of political prisoners, condemned Diaz’s continued detention.

“After 7 years, the hearing for bail, the stage of trial to determine if his case was bailable and he could avail of temporary liberty, remains unsettled. Hearings were 5 months apart. Postponements from the government prosecutor, approved by the court, feel heartless and indifferent to the fact that the accused has been detained for a very long time already,” the group said.

“Remie is a victim of grave injustice compounded with each day that he stays in detention,” it added.

The protest also highlighted the case of Josephine Parra Porquia, a longtime development worker who entered her second week in detention after her arrest on April 2, 2026, during Holy Week in Pavia, Iloilo.

Supporters said Porquia was charged with rebellion and illegal possession of explosives after authorities accused her of being a member of the New People’s Army.

A rights report published by Bulatlat said Porquia, 64, was arrested during a joint police and military operation and was being held at the Pavia Municipal Police Station, while rights groups denounced the case as part of a broader pattern of criminalization against activists and development workers.

The protesters called for the immediate release of Diaz, Porquia, and other political prisoners across the country, saying the arrests reflect broader concerns over alleged human rights violations and the filing of baseless charges against activists and community leaders.

“Political prisoners are a symptom of a sick society,” Kapatid-Panay said.

“Like the victims of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, red-tagging, and harassment, they expose as lies the government’s propaganda that all is well with the people and governance is effective and good,” the group added.

Karapatan said there were about 761 political prisoners in the country as of early 2025, while the protest organizers said 16 political prisoners are currently detained in the Panay region.