The 4th IB and the Philippine National Police (PNP) illegally arrested two farmers’ rights advocates in a barangay in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro on July 13. Joy Laguardia and her companion were released two days after being arrested and accused of being high officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) named “Ka Ems” and “Ka Patrick.”

Laguardia’s relatives said they suddenly lost contact with her at around 10 p.m. on July 13. They said Joy has long been a social worker helping farmers.

The two went to Mindoro to investigate the effects of El Niño on the people. They went to the town of Bulalacao, where the poverty of the farmers and indigenous Mangyan is widespread due to the lack of response to the impact caused by El Niño, land-use conversion projects, and extensive human rights violations.

A Karapatan-Southern Tagalog team was immediately dispatched to Mindoro, along with Laguardia’s family, to ensure the safety and rights of the two.

“We intend to facilitate contact between Joy and her relatives as part of her right and to deliver legal services,” the team said.

They went to the office of the governor of Oriental Mindoro to formally announce their arrival in the province and the purpose of their visit. They also went to the PNP Region IV-B office to determine which police unit had custody of the two but the office denied that they knew about the whereabouts of those arrested.

Karapatan-Southern Tagalog condemned the successive harassment against its team in Mindoro. It said the police blocked their vehicles upon arrival in Calapan. Even after talking to the governor, they were stopped at five more checkpoints.