A writ of habeas corpus petition was filed at the Supreme Court by Arnulfo Pacalda, father of Alexandrea Pacalda, an activist who was illegally arrested by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and presented as a Red fighter “surrenderee.”

The Pacalda family’s lawyers said that they demand the military to immediately present Alexandrea before the court to hasten her release. Alexandrea was arrested on September 14 in Barangay Magsaysay, Quezon. She was denied food and sleep for almost 30 hours. She was forced to sign an affidavit which she later discovered to be a declaration for voluntary surrender. After being visited by her family, she was able to muster the courage to deny that she surrendered. In a video statement, she said that she did not surrender and that she has no reason to surrender.

In an open letter, her father called on the public to support the call for the immediate release of his daughter. He said that he and his son quit their respective jobs to accompany Alexandrea who is detained in a military camp as they fear that she might be forced to “surrender” anew in the absence of visitors. The Pacalda family remains firm as they know that Alexandrea is innocent and that her detention has no legal basis.