The 80th IB soldiers nabbed and detained 24-year-old farmer Jonathan del Castello after he bought food for his family on the evening of April 27 in Tanay, Rizal. The victim said soldiers subjected him to interrogation regarding the food he was carrying and accused him of delivering it to the New People’s Army (NPA).

Castello shared that the soldiers threatened to kill him, as he overheard them talk whether one of them had already dug “deep enough.” The 80th IB released him only in the early hours of April 28. No charges or warrants were presented against him.

The Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM, or National Federation of Peasants)-Rizal condemned the abduction, illegal detention, interrogation, intimidation, and psychological torture of the farmer. “His family was gripped by fear and anxiety throughout the night, especially not knowing where the fascist 80th IB took him,” the group stated.

The group explained that the soldiers’ inspecting and restricting Castello’s purchased food items could be considered food and economic blockade. “This clearly violates the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Rights or CARHIHL,” the group said.

PKM-Rizal expressed concern for civilian safety, as the 80th IB’s abuses are part of their desperate efforts to crush the NPA-Rizal. “The 80th IB is desperately determined to hunt down the NPA-Rizal under the Narciso Antazo-Aramil Command, even to the extent of abducting a farmer,” it added.

In September 2024, Rizal was declared “insurgency-free.”

Amid military violence, PKM-Rizal called on fellow farmers to advance the people’s war and intensify their struggle, including taking up arms and joining the NPA. “This is the only significant way to break free from the chains of feudal and semi-feudal exploitation and military abuse. The democratic people’s revolution is the only path to achieve free land distribution, as it advances genuine agrarian revolution,” the group asserted.