Combined forces of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and 76th Infantry Battalion raided the house of Ramon “Monet” Alcantara in Barangay San Vicente, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on December 23 at 3 a.m. His family and friends have not located his whereabouts to date.

The AFP insists on linking Alcantara to the encounter between the 76th IB and the revolutionary movement in Barangay Lumangbayan on November 26.

Alcantara is known in Abra de Ilog as a progressive figure who opposes the entry of mining operations on the island of Mindoro. He is also active in defending the rights of the indigenous Mangyan people to their ancestral lands. He previously ran for mayor of Abra de Ilog in 2022. He graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of The Philippines-Los Banos.

According to Karapatan Southern Tagalog, even as Christmas approaches, the US-Marcos regime continues to terrorize and suppress human rights and environmental defenders.

Alcantara is the second victim of human rights violations this December in Abra de Ilog. The first reported was Dolores Mariano Solangon, an indigenous Mangyan-Iraya and farmer, who was abducted and tortured by 76th IB elements.

According to Defend Mindoro, over the past five years, indigenous peoples and peasants in Oriental and Occidental Mindoro have suffered unparalleled terrorism and violence caused by relentless military operations on the island.

The League of Filipino Students-UPLB, UPLB Sociology Society, UPLB College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology Student Council, UPLB College of Arts and Sciences Student Council, and Anakbayan expressed condemnation.