Various progressive groups marched to Camp Karingal in Quezon City on January 27 following the arrest of 69-year-old Myrna Cruz-Abraham by state forces. Cruz-Abraham was arrested in San Rafael, Bulacan on the morning of January 27.

The victim was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by a Cagayan court in connection with cases of frustrated murder and murder. From Bulacan she was transferred to Camp Karingal where she is currently detained.

Alternative newspaper Manila Today reported that the victim was with her daughter when eight plain clothes state forces picked her up at a supermarket in San Rafael, Bulacan. “My child, don’t leave me,” Cruz-Abrahan told her daughter while being arrested by state forces.

Cruz-Abraham and her daughter were taken to the San Rafael Municipal Police Station and several hours later to the Quezon City General Hospital for a medical examination. The victim was still taken to Camp Karingal despite her high pressure of 160/80 which is considered as stage 2 hypertension.

Cruz-Abraham is the first political prisoner recorded this year according to the Karapatan-National Capital Region (NCR) and the 155th under the Marcos regime. The state holds a total of at least 763 political prisoners nationwide.

Cruz-Abraham has been illegally arrested on trumped-up charges before, according to Karapatan-NCR. In 2010, during the Arroyo regime, Cruz-Abraham was picked up and arrested on charges of murder and violation of the “gun ban” during the Cagayan Valley elections. The case was dismissed in December 2010 which paved the way for her release.

Cruz-Abraham is a teacher, writer, and longtime organizer who has advocated for women, workers, indigenous people, and farmers’ rights since 1989. She was also one of the founders of the Women’s Center and was part of the Center for Women’s Resources. She is also among various organizations such as the Women Industrial Workers Alliance (WIWA), the Kilusang Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK), and St. Joseph’s Social Services and Crisis Management Committee-National Capital Region.

She also served as founding member in 2017 of the Sandiwa-Network of Advocates for National Minority Rights (SANDIWA), a network for indigenous peoples and moros or the national minority. Since then Cruz-Abraham has been a firm advocate for the right of indigenous and national minorities to self-determination, ancestral land, and territory. Cruz-Abraham was also part of the successful Lakbayan where she helped the Bakwit School of the Lumads in Manila from 2017 to 2019.

Human rights groups have called for the immediate dismissal of the criminal charges filed against her and her release from imprisonment. Cruz-Abraham will celebrate her 70th birthday this coming January 31.