Urgent Alert
March 14, 2026
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) expresses its concern about the arrest of 10 individuals on trumped-up charges, and calls for the surfacing of two individuals who remain missing, after recent joint Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) operations.
According to local human rights group Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), 12 individuals were arrested through separate operations conducted by the AFP and PNP in Quezon City and in Tarlac City, Central Luzon on March 11, 2026. The 5th Infantry Division of the AFP claims that the arrested individuals were members of the “Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee”. CHRA said that all arrested individuals are unarmed and non-combatants.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Kennedy Bangibang was among the seven individuals arrested in Tarlac City. Bangibang and his companions were reportedly subjected to verbal and physical abuse from their arresting officers. It was also reported that two of them were arrested without warrants and have remained in illegal custody for more than 48 hours. All of them face fabricated and non-bailable charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
As an NDFP Consultant, Bangibang should have been accorded protection through the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), signed by the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in 1995. His arrest blatantly violates this agreement. ICHRP reminds Philippine authorities that they are bound to uphold and respect Bangibang’s rights. He has since been transferred and detained in Tabuk City, Kalinga, in the Cordillera region.
Meanwhile, Jess Gamay and his companion remain missing despite being allegedly released by the PNP in Camp Karingal, Quezon City last March 11. The two were among the three individuals arrested in a joint PNP-AFP operation in the same city. Authorities claim they are not holding them in custody, but their families and legal team said that they have not contacted them nor have come home since the incident.
ICHRP calls for the immediate release of the 10 individuals arrested and the surfacing of Jess Gamay and his companion. We call on the Philippine authorities to respect and uphold the rights of all 12 individuals. International humanitarian law (IHL) must also be upheld and observed, and they must be accorded due process and given proper access to their legal counsel and families.
