Philippines: 2 labor rights defenders arrested on trumped-up charges
Event- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Oct 27, 2024
- Event Description
KARAPATAN condemns the arbitrary arrest of two Southern Tagalog trade union organizers on October 27, 2024.
Arrested in Makati City were Gavino Panganiban, Director for Campaigns of the Kilusang Mayo Uno-affiliated Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK), and Maritess David, a labor organizer of the Organized Labor Association in Line Industries and Agriculture-Kilusang Mayo Uno (Olalia-KMU). David faces trumped-up charges of murder while Panganiban faces charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
David’s case stems from the Bloody Sunday raids on the former office of the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawa sa Engklabo in 2021 where the arresting team planted several firearms and explosives before serving their search warrant.
Since yesterday afternoon, KARAPATAN paralegals and David’s family have also been illegally blocked by elements of the Philippine National Police from entering the rented house in Makati, where the two were arrested, to safekeep the personal belongings of both David and Panganiban. No warrants have been issued to search the said house.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Labour rights defender
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 14.558786306046883
Longitude: 121.02017713404233
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 27 October 2024, labor union organizers Maritess David (also a WHRD) and Gavino Panganiban were arrested without any warrant by the police in Makati, Philippines on false charges of illegal possession of weapons and murder, respectively, while paralegal were prevented from entering their house to secure their belongings.