Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on Malacañang and top diplomatic officials to secure the swift release of Mark Mabasa, the son of slain radio broadcaster Percy Lapid, who has been held in a U.S. immigration detention facility in California.
Hontiveros urged coordinated action from the Philippine executive branch, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel “Babes” Romualdez, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton, and Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles Adel Cruz to intervene in Mabasa’s case. Mabasa has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents since September 21.
“It is unacceptable that a person who has been seeking asylum is detained without a clear reason,” Hontiveros said in a statement. “Mark and other members of Percy Lapid’s family have been seeking asylum for a long time after receiving terrifying death threats here in the Philippines.”
Mabasa and his family fled to the United States to seek refuge after facing persistent security threats following the October 2022 assassination of their father, a hard-hitting commentator known publicly as Percy Lapid.
Hontiveros emphasized that the Philippine government has an obligation to assist Mabasa given its prior failure to protect his father.
In a parallel development, the migrant rights group Migrante South Bay expressed solidarity with Mabasa, strongly condemning his imprisonment and demanding an end to systemic attacks against migrants.
“His story reflects how political repression and forced migration drive Filipinos to seek safety abroad, only to face detention and further persecution,” Migrante South Bay said.
“Seeking safety should not be criminalized. We demand an end to unjust detention and call on the Philippine Consulate to defend the rights of ALL Filipinos abroad.”
Mabasa is currently being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. His immigration hearing, which was originally anticipated around early October, has reportedly been pushed back to November 5. # (ZIA LUNA)
