The human rights group Tanggol Quezon announced the release on June 11 of political prisoner Arvin Borromeo, a peasant leader and spokesperson of Coco Levy Fund Ibalik sa Amin (CLAIM)-Quezon. He left prison after the court in Catanauan, Quezon dismissed his case.

State forces arrested and detained Borromeo in May 2021 in Barangay San Pablo Suha, Catanauan. Authorities charged him with illegal possession of firearms (RA 10591) and explosives (RA 9516), fabricated cases that the state commonly files to prolong activists’ detention.

According to Paul Tagle, spokesperson of Tanggol Quezon, the state files such cases to instill fear among the people. “Instead, they exposed the desperation of a government clinging to repression,” he said.

“That the trumped-up case against me has been dismissed only proves how brutal and desperate the state is to silence us in our struggle,” Borromeo stated.

Meanwhile, Tanggol Quezon also reported that the provincial court dismissed criminal cases filed against peasant organizers Lieshel Mendoza and Liezel Merchales. The court dropped the charges of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 for lack of sufficient basis.

“These victories are not just legal triumphs; they are acts of defiance against a state that systematically weaponizes the law to suppress legitimate dissent,” Tagle said.

Tanggol Quezon called on the Marcos regime to release all political prisoners and drop all trumped-up cases against peasant leaders and human rights defenders. They also urged various sectors in Quezon to support the struggle of communities against prolonged militarization in South Quezon-Bondoc Peninsula.