Gabriela calls for accountability in military crackdown on women defenders

📷: Gabriela Women’s Party | FB

Gabriela Women’s Party has denounced what it calls a “pattern of state repression” following the arrest and detention of three women activists in separate incidents in Mindoro and Iloilo City.

Charlize “Ceeka” Garzon, a young artist and magna cum laude graduate known for her cultural work with Mangyan Buhid communities, was arrested on March 29 by elements of the 68th and 203rd Infantry Battalions under the 2nd Infantry Division.

She has been accused of being a member of the New People’s Army, a charge Gabriela describes as “false and fabricated.”

Reports of physical and psychological abuse during her detention have raised alarm among rights groups.

On April 2, women development workers Josephine Porquia and Ma. Luisa Guillen were likewise arrested in Iloilo City.

Porquia, a longtime advocate for migrant rights and community welfare, and Guillen, a defender of women’s rights, face what Gabriela calls “trumped-up charges” intended to criminalize legitimate social work.

“These cases expose a clear pattern of attacks against women activists, development workers, and cultural workers who dedicate their lives to serving marginalized communities,” Gabriela said in a statement.

The group stressed that women activists are increasingly subjected to red-tagging, harassment, illegal arrests, and violence, with militarization disproportionately impacting women and their families.

Gabriela Women’s Party is demanding the immediate release of Garzon, Porquia, and Guillen, the dismissal of all charges against them, and accountability for the military and police forces involved.

“No amount of repression can silence women who rise to serve the people,” the statement concluded. “The continued attacks only strengthen our resolve to fight for justice and genuine freedom.” # (ZIA LUNA)