📷: John Ruiz / Tug-ani
Former Bayan Muna Representative and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares today condemned in the strongest terms the arrest of Bayan Muna Central Visayas coordinator and former partylist nominee John Ruiz by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Cebu City on August 31.
“The arrest of John Ruiz is a brazen act of political persecution, a desperate move to criminalize legitimate dissent and silence a staunch critic of the administration’s servility to foreign powers,” Colmenares stated. “This is not law enforcement; this is state terror using the tools of the legal system.”
Ruiz was seized after participating in a mobilization protesting foreign military intervention and agreements like EDCA and the Mutual Defense Treaty. Colmenares highlighted that the arrest follows a familiar pattern of harassment against Ruiz, including a baseless frustrated homicide case from 2023 and ludicrous charges under the Marcos-era Batas Pambansa 880 for a 2025 protest.
“These charges are so obviously trumped-up they would be laughable if the consequences weren’t so dire, ” Colmenares asserted.
“We will study the filing of criminal cases against police elements and witnesses who commit perjury by false testimony against activists, and prosecutors who did not bother to inform the respondent of the complaint thereby ensuring that they cannot appear in the preliminary investigation. They serve as infrastructure of impunity by weaponising the law against legitimate dissent. Walang hinto ang mga kasong ito hanggat hindi natin kasuhan ang mga gumagawa ng trumped up cases. Kailangan ng isang masugid na legal counter offensive sa mga kasong ito, at namimihasa na sila sa mga gawa gawang kaso”
He connected Ruiz’s arrest to a broader national strategy of using police and judicial power to target members of progressive organizations, particularly those opposing imperialist military agreements and demanding national sovereignty.
“John Ruiz is a community organizer, not a criminal. His real ‘crime’ in the eyes of the state is his effective mobilization of the people against imperialism and corruption. His arrest, while in the middle of a protest against a Marcos policy, is meant to send a chilling message to all activists,” Colmenares said.
Colmenares called for the immediate and unconditional release of John Ruiz, the dismissal of all fabricated charges against him, and an end to the weaponization of the law against political opponents.
“We call on the Commission on Human Rights, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and all democratic sectors to investigate this clear case of arbitrary detention and political repression. We urge the people to remain vigilant and to rally behind all political prisoners. We will not allow this regime to drag us back to the dark days of dictatorship,” Colmenares concluded.#
