Last Sunday, Racquel Dahoyla Santillano (Ka Pon), 40 years old, was abducted somewhere in Bumbaran, Lanao del Sur by military agents belonging to the 1st Special Forces Battalion, the Military Intelligence Battalion and 52nd Infantry Battalion, all under the 4th Infantry Division.

According to reports received by the New People’s Army in North Central Mindanao, Santillano was seen last September 7 in Valencia City, Bukidnon under heavy military escort. She is believed to be currently unlawfully detained in Camp Evangelista, headquarters of the 4th ID in Cagayan de Oro.

The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly condemns the 4th ID for the abduction and unlawful secret detention of Santillano. The international humanitarian law as well as all existing laws under which the AFP operates. We must demand the 4th ID to immediately surface Santillano and allow her family and lawyers to see her. Her rights must be respected.

We know the 4th ID to be a notorious violator of the rights of civilians and unarmed revolutionaries. The 4th ID is also behind at least three cases of murder while in custody, namely that of NPA leader Ka Oris and his medical aide Ka Pika (October 29, 2021), of NDFP consultant Pedro Codaste and his aide (January 19, 2022), and the recent case of Vincent Madlos and wife Glorivic Belandres.

We call on all human rights and humanitarian organizations, as well as all democratic and patriotic organizations, to act immediately to save the life of Santillano. We call on everyone to help create some noise about the abduction and disappearance of Santillano before the 4th ID does anything dreadful against her.

Santillano is known as a revolutionary leader in the North Central Mindanao Region. She hails from Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte and was a scholar at the Caraga State University. She was on medical furlough to seek treatment for a spine injury. She was unarmed at the time that she was abducted by military agents.

Santillano is an staunch defender, organizer and advocate for the rights of the masses of peasants to own the land they till, and the rights of the Lumad and Moro communities to their ancestral land and their right to self-determination. Santillano is a mother of five. She defends the rights of women and children, as well as students and youth.