KARAPATAN condemns Holy Week arrest of women development workers in Iloilo
KARAPATAN Public Information
For immediate release
PRESS RELEASE
April 2, 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN condemns Holy Week arrest of women development workers in Iloilo
“While many observe Holy Week as a time for reflection, State agents take no pause in violating human rights,” said rights group KARAPATAN, as it condemned the arrest of two elderly women development workers in Pavia, Iloilo on April 2, Holy Thursday.
Panay Alliance Karapatan reported that longtime activists Josephine Parra Porquia, 64, and Ma. Luisa Tagamolila Guillen, 62, were arrested this morning. The group believes the arrest was deliberately timed during Lenten observance to delay legal remedies and prolong their detention.
Porquia and Guillen are currently detained at the Pavia Municipal Police Station.
“These arrests are not only unjust, they are cruelly calculated,” Palabay said. “To carry them out during Holy Week, when courts and offices operate on limited capacity, effectively ensures illegal detention. This exposes how the legal system is being manipulated to punish those who serve the people.”
Josephine Parra Porquia is a veteran activist and migrant rights advocate who has long worked with communities and overseas Filipino workers. She is the widow of Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia, a community leader and Iloilo City coordinator of partylist Bayan Muna, who was killed by State forces in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Since then, she and her family have faced persistent red-tagging and harassment.
Ma. Luisa Tagamolila Guillen, a member of Gabriela, has dedicated decades to advancing women’s rights and advocating for accessible social services. Her family has likewise been subjected to sustained attacks, including the near-fatal stabbing of her son, human rights lawyer Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, in 2021.
“Josephine and Ma. Luisa are not, and never will be, criminals. They are development workers who have devoted their lives to uplifting marginalized communities. They lead their families and communities in demanding accountability from the State, after what happened to their loved ones,” Palabay emphasized.
KARAPATAN stressed that the persecution of Porquia and Guillen continues to reveal the Marcos Jr. government’s continuum of the past administration’s policy of targeting activists through trumped-up charges, questionable police operations, and blatant disregard for due process, which is experienced by rights defenders across the country.
“This injustice reflects the same betrayal and persecution symbolized during the Lenten season, with the government persecuting the people at the same time that they are reeling from the current crisis,” Palabay said.
KARAPATAN called for the immediate release of Porquia and Guillen.
“All fabricated charges against them must be dropped. They do not deserve a single day in jail. It is clear who continues to betray the people, the Marcos Jr. government. Release Josephine and Ma. Luisa!” Palabay ended.
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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.