Campaign to release political prisoners launched ahead of Marcos Jr.'s 5th SONA
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
18 July 2026
"Mga kurakot ikulong, bilanggong pulitikal palayain!"
Campaign to release political prisoners launched ahead of Marcos Jr.'s 5th SONA
KARAPATAN, together with former political prisoners, people's organizations, church groups, artists, human rights advocates, families and friends of political prisoners, formally launched LAYA: A Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in the Philippines on Saturday, renewing calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners while demanding accountability from government officials implicated in corruption.
Launched days before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), the campaign carried the call: "Mga kurakot ikulong, bilanggong pulitikal palayain!"
"A year has passed since corruption scandals on flood control projects were mouthed by Marcos Jr. in his SONA, but who has been jailed since? Meanwhile, the Marcos Jr. regime has arrested and detained at least 165 activists, government critics, and ordinary people. It is the crooks who should be put to jail, not those who demand accountability and justice,” said Amanda Echanis, former political prisoner and LAYA spokesperson.
The 165 persons arrested in the four years of the Marcos Jr. administration are among the 560 total number of political prisoners in the country, according to KARAPATAN.
Echanis said the continuing detention of political prisoners exposes the government's use of fabricated criminal charges and other forms of political persecution against activists, human rights defenders, community organizers, and other critics, while those responsible for large-scale corruption continue to evade accountability.
"What has become clearer, especially amidst the hearings on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, that those in power will do anything not to be held accountable, while the people are sickened by their waste of funds not only to steal from people’s money, but also to ensure that they go scot-free,” said Echanis.
KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay said the campaign aims to unite organizations and individuals, and appeal to those in government to facilitate the speedy release of political prisoners, especially those with humanitarian considerations, like the sick, elderly, and women.
“When there exists the worst disregard for human rights of the people, and jails are cramped with those who demand change from this rotten system, the call to free political prisoners is among the main demands. No activist or dissenter should be put to jail for his political beliefs. No one should be deemed criminal for speaking out against the massive plunder that the likes of the Marcoses and Dutertes continue to do in power,” Palabay explained.
The gathering also featured the launch of Pansamantalang Mundo: Akda ng mga Kababaihang Bilanggong Pulitikal (2024–2026), an anthology published by Paper Trail Projects and KARAPATAN. The collection brings together poems and other writings by women political prisoners, offering readers a glimpse into their lives, struggles, hopes, and unwavering commitment despite imprisonment.
Former and current political prisoners, artists, church people, and human rights defenders delivered messages of solidarity and cultural performances during the program, underscoring the urgency of freeing all political prisoners and defending democratic rights.
Reference: KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.