KARAPATAN: Free labor organizer Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes!
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS STATEMENT
June 3, 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN: Free labor organizer Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes!
“Hindi po kasalanan ang magsilbi sa bayan. Walong taon na akong nakakulong, sana ay lumaya na ako (To serve the people is not a crime. I have been in prison for eight years, I hope I will be free).”
These were the words of Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes when he took the witness stand before the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, Branch 97, on June 2, on the trumped-up charge of illegal possession of explosives filed against him.
For eight years, Reyes has languished in jail for a crime he did not commit. On this same day in 2018, operatives of the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested him shortly after he attended a consultation with workers in Quezon City. Reyes has maintained that the CIDG personnel planted the explosives allegedly recovered from his small slingbag, a claim underscored by the pattern of fabricated charges and political persecution experienced by labor organizers and activists in the country.
Before his arrest, Reyes was a trade union organizer committed to advance the rights and welfare of workers. His imprisonment has become part of a broader pattern of political persecution against labor organizers, human rights defenders, and activists who dare to speak out and organize for social change.
As early as 2015, Reyes and several public sector unionists and organizers sought legal protection by filing a petition for writ of amparo and habeas data due to the relentless red-tagging, surveillance, and harassment they have experienced. Instead of receiving protection from the courts and the State, many of the petitioners were later arrested and prosecuted on fabricated charges. Among them were Rowena Rosales, Oliver Rosales, and Antonieta Setias-Dizon.
The trajectory of Reyes’ case exposes the dangers of red-tagging and the use of the criminal justice system as a weapon against dissent. While in detention, Reyes discovered that additional criminal charges had been filed against him in Mindanao, despite being incarcerated in Metro Manila. These cases were eventually dismissed, further exposing the baseless nature of the accusations leveled against him.
As Reyes testified in his own defense, his words reflected the suffering of hundreds of political prisoners who continue to be deprived of their liberty because of their political beliefs, advocacy, and work among marginalized sectors. His appeal for freedom resonates far beyond his individual case.
As of March 2026, there are 685 political prisoners in the Philippines, 172 of them were arrested under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration. Many remain in jail on trumped-up charges, planted evidence, and prosecutions tainted by grave violations of due process and fundamental rights.
The continued detention of Reyes is a stark reminder that political repression remains deeply entrenched. No one should be imprisoned for organizing workers, defending rights, or serving the people. There is no genuine democracy in a country where political prisoners continue to exist, denied of their rights, and stripped off of their dignity and freedom.
KARAPATAN calls for the immediate acquittal and release of Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes. We likewise call for the release of all political prisoners and for an end to the weaponization of the law against activists, labor organizers, peasant advocates, and human rights defenders.
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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.