By Nimfa Estrellado Labiano and Tagle (Photomanipulation by Nathaniel Lopera) LUCENA CITY, Quezon - Quezon activists Fritz Labiano and P...
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| Labiano and Tagle (Photomanipulation by Nathaniel Lopera) |
LUCENA CITY, Quezon - Quezon activists Fritz Labiano and Paul Tagle were recently acquitted of terrorism financing charges in Batangas Trial Court Branch 7 on June 5. The court dismissed the case filed by the 85th Infantry Battalion (IB) last April, citing a lack of evidence to support the accusations under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.
Labiano, a coordinator for Kabataan Partylist Quezon, and Tagle, the spokesperson for Tanggol Quezon, also serve as paralegals for political prisoners like former Gabriela Youth Chairperson Alex Pacalda, Rowena Dasig, and Miguela Peniero.
The charges stemmed from their paralegal work for Dasig and Peniero. During a consultation visit, the 85th IB falsely accused Labiano and Tagle of providing a P500 bill and food to the prisoners. This incident occurred after the 85th IB had illegally arrested Dasig and Peniero last year while they were investigating a construction power plant project in Atimonan, Quezon, which had potential negative impacts on local farmers and fisherfolk.
Labiano and Tagle were not given the opportunity to defend themselves in court as they never received a subpoena during the investigation. In a Facebook post, Labiano expressed the toll the ordeal took on him and his ability to help young students defend their academic freedom due to the security threats he faced.
This dismissal is a victory for human rights defenders in Quezon, but the fight is far from over. The 2023 Karapatan year-end report highlights the prevalence of trumped-up charges against activists under President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr's counterinsurgency program.
Other activists like Yulesita Ibanez and Leizel Merchales are facing similar charges for conducting relief operations in Southern Quezon in 2020. Even rural peasants like Leshiel Mendoza, who barely makes ends meet for her child, have been targeted with fabricated terrorism financing accusations.
Planting firearms is another tactic used to incriminate peasants and organizers. Alvin Borromeo, a Coco Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin Quezon provincial leader, and activists Erlindo Baez and Wilfredo Capareño have been imprisoned under such pretenses. Tagle revealed in an interview that political prisoners in Quezon District Jail, including Borromeo, Baez, and Capareño, face prejudice and harsh conditions, including limited family calls, lack of access to water, and inadequate food.
The recent Typhoon Aghon further exacerbated the plight of political prisoners in Quezon District Jail, damaging their belongings and hygiene items. The issue extends beyond Quezon, with Karapatan reporting 799 political prisoners nationwide, 10 of whom are from and detained in Quezon.
Youth group Kabataan Partylist Southern Tagalog condemned the deceitful measures used to vilify human rights work, asserting that justice will eventually prevail and reveal the true perpetrators of such acts. (with reports from Philippine Collegian)
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