Rights group denounces HR violations in military, police ops in Tarlac, QC
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
13 March 2026
References: Maria Sol Taule, KARAPATAN Deputy Secretary General, 09452966916
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
Rights group denounces HR violations in mil, police ops in Tarlac, QC
KARAPATAN human rights alliance denounced human rights violations, including possible cases of enforced disappearance, in relation to the reported simultaneous police and military operations in Tarlac City and Quezon City in the early morning of March 11, 2026 that led to the arrest and detention of twelve individuals.
Arrested from a house in Barangay Baras-Baras, Tarlac City were National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Gabriel Kennedy Bangibang, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloroza, Theresa Forag, Ranee Francella Tuazon, Renato Ginez, Marc Mendiola and Javar Sugao.
Bangibang, an NDFP consultant on the Cordilleras and National Minorities, joined the peace talks in 2016 between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. His status as a consultant is supposed to accord him protection from surveillance and arrest under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). He has reportedly been taken to a detention facility in Tabuk City, Kalinga.
Meanwhile, arrested in East Fairview were Jess Gamay Lang-ay, Bobby Calsiyao Yag-ao and a third individual who were all brought to Camp Karingal. Yag-ao remains in custody while Lang-ay and his companion were reportedly released because they had no pending warrants. Their whereabouts remain unknown, however, as neither of them has returned home. Their families and legal teams are concerned that they may have been brought to a secret detention facility, are being subjected to coercive action and that fabricated charges may be filed against them.
Meanwhile, two more individuals—Jovencio Tangbawan and Belleminda Barajas—were reportedly taken into custody in an earlier arrest in Caloocan City.
In their Facebook page, the 501st Brigade alleged that the arrested individuals form part of the “Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee.”
The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) has disputed a police report claiming that firearms and explosives were allegedly seized in the Tarlac City raid. “All of those arrested were unarmed and non-combatants,” said the CHRA in a statement. “Yet they are now facing trumped-up complaints of illegal possession of firearms and explosives (aside from other) fabricated cases.” The CHRA also reported that the arrested individuals were verbally abused and physically assaulted, including being being struck at the back of their heads, beaten in the face and abdomen and forced to lie face down on the ground.
KARAPATAN joins the CHRA in calling for the surfacing of Lang-ay and his companion, for due process to be observed, and for all twelve arrested individuals to be treated in accordance with the highest standards of International Humanitarian Law. Their rights to have access to their families and legal counsels of their choice must also be respected.
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publi...@karapatan.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
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.