The Marcos regime’s forces arrested six progressive and revolutionary organizers in Southern Tagalog in a new series of crackdowns on October 24 and 27. Among those arrested was a National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant.
In Quezon City, a combined force of the 2nd Infantry Division (ID) and police arrested Wigberto Villarico and his partner Marjorie Lizada at their residence in Barangay Fairview, Quezon City, on October 24. Villarico is an NDFP peace consultant in Southern Tagalog, while Lizada is his staff member.
Villarico is a 68-year-old who suffers from various illnesses.
His arrest violates the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). He is the third NDFP consultant to be arrested in the month of October alone. Their arrests clearly aim to derail efforts to revive the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP.
In Oriental Mindoro, farmer organizers Bong Fran and Kelvin Joaquin were arrested on October 24 in Barangay Hagupit, Bongabong. They were in the middle of assisting farmers affected by Typhoon Kristine when they were arrested.
The two were arrested based on a warrant issued by a court in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, on a charge of rebellion. The soldiers and police also claimed to have confiscated a .45 caliber pistol, explosives, gadgets, and documents from them.
In Makati City, state forces arrested two labor organizers on October 27. The two were identified as Gavino Panganiban, a Pamantik-KMU campaign official, and Maritess David from the OLALIA-KMU federation.
Police stated that Panganiban is facing murder and attempted murder charges in a court in Infanta and Gumaca, Quezon, while David has been charged with violating the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition in a court in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Pamantik-KMU maintained that the charges against Panganiban and David are completely baseless and were only made to suppress the workers and their struggle.
