Rights group calls for release of 2 elderly activists held in Iloilo raid

A left-leaning human rights group is calling for the immediate release of two elderly activists arrested in a joint police and military operation in Barangay Aganan, Pavia, Iloilo on 2 April 2026.

Karapatan said the arrest of Josephine Parra Porquia, 64, and Ma. Luisa Tagamolila Guillen, 62, was deliberately timed during Holy Week to delay legal remedies and prolong their detention. Cristina Palabay, the group’s secretary-general, said the arrests reflect what she described as a continuing policy of targeting activists through questionable police operations and disregard for due process.

“These arrests are not only unjust, they are cruelly calculated,” Palabay said. “To carry them out during Holy Week, when courts and offices operate on limited capacity, effectively ensures illegal detention. This exposes how the legal system is being manipulated to punish those who serve the people.”

The Police Regional Office 6 identified the two as members of Kilusang Rehiyon–Panay, which it described as the regional party committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, operating in Panay. Police said Porquia, also known as “Dhaday” or “Gie,” was arrested on the strength of a 28 June 2012 warrant for rebellion issued by a regional trial court, with recommended bail set at P40,000.

Authorities added that Porquia was allegedly found in possession of materials for improvised explosive devices, which could lead to charges of illegal possession, manufacture and dealing of explosives. Guillen, identified by police as “Luing,” was arrested for obstruction of justice after allegedly interfering with the operation. Both are detained at the Pavia Municipal Police Station.

Karapatan described Porquia as a veteran activist and migrant rights advocate, and the widow of Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia, a Bayan Muna coordinator in Iloilo City who was killed in April 2020. Guillen, the group said, is a member of Gabriela and has long advocated for women’s rights and social services. Her family, it added, has faced attacks, including the stabbing of her son, human rights lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen, in 2021.

“Josephine and Ma. Luisa are not, and never will be, criminals. They are development workers who have devoted their lives to uplifting marginalized communities. They lead their families and communities in demanding accountability from the State, after what happened to their loved ones,” Palabay said.