Democratic groups expressed widespread condemnatioon against 66th IB, 67th IB, and police elements for arresting 11 individuals at a checkpoint in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur on the night of June 13. According to Karapatan-Southern Mindanao, state forces had no basis to arrest the 11. It asserted that the cases are fabricated and that the claim that weapons and explosives were seized are false.

Charisse Bernadine Bañez, Ronnie Igloria, Louvaine Erika Espina, Sinag Lugsi, Larry Montero, Daryl Man-Inday, Arjie Guino Dadizon, Grace Niknik Man-aning, Leo Taba, and two drivers were traveling from the town of Monkayo in Davao De Oro when authorities accosted them at the checkpoint. According to the group, soldiers and police forced them to disembark and lie face down.

Military and police searched the vehicle without presenting a search warrant and confiscated their belongings. Authorities only allowed them to stand up after two hours and falsely declared that weapons and explosives had been found among their belongings. The group reported that authorities took them to the Bunawan police station.

On the morning of June 14, the victims discovered that Taba and the two drivers of the vehicles were no longer with them and had disappeared. That same day, soldiers also prevented paralegals and human rights groups from approaching and speaking with the detainees.

Karapatan-Southern Mindanao learned that while in detention, the victims underwent military interrogation from night until morning. Soldiers subjected them to psychological torture and guarded their cells throughout the night.

“It took over 36 hours before they were allowed access to basic needs. Their families were also denied immediate communication,” according to the group’s report.

The 10th ID, the National Task Force-Elcac, and paid agents described as “former rebels,” are now circulating information claiming that those arrested are high-ranking leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines and Red fighters of the New People’s Army. These groups are intensifying their campaign to spread this narrative to legitimize the irregular arrests of the victims.

They use the situation to advance the Red-tagging campaign against legal democratic organizations. They claim that because Bañez being a former leader of the League of Filipino Students and Anakbayan proves the alleged links of these groups to the armed revolutionary movement.

Facing these developments, Karapatan-Southern Mindanao maintains that the arrests violate the victims’ rights. “This is a blatant violation of their human rights, with state forces disregarding laws such as the Anti-Torture Act and the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act — all under the guise of “anti-insurgency,” the group said.

The group emphasized that this is not an isolated case. “It is part of a broader pattern of systemic human rights violations under the Marcos Jr regime,” the group added. Southern Mindanao reportedly stands out for the increasing cases of community militarization, silencing government critics, illegal arrests, and other rights violations.

The group demands the immediate release of the Agusan 8 and the surfacing of Taba and the two drivers. They must immediately receive access to counsel of their choice, contact with their families, and basic necessities.