THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) is investigating the detention of five peasant advocates in Gumaca, Quezon after they were allegedly harassed by police and military officers.
The five are volunteers from Bayan Muna Southern Tagalog and were enroute to study the effects of El Niño in the province when they were blocked police and soldiers, the group stated in a Facebook post.
The CHR said in a Facebook Messenger chat that the case was already being handled by the Region IV-A branch.
“Per initial information, the volunteers were released on March 4, 11 pm. This notwithstanding, CHR IV-A will still continue its probe,” said CHR Regional Director Rexford D. Guevarra.
Human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog said the state agents presented a list of arrest warrants to the volunteers, but none of them were on it.
“We are currently blocked by the 85th Infantry Battalion, 2nd company of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force with the Gumaca Municipal Police in the village of Panikihan, Gumaca, Quezon,” Emmanuel Numeron, one of the five volunteers wrote in his Facebook post on Monday night.
The volunteers claimed that they were held at gunpoint and detained for two hours.
The AFP and the Philippine National Police of Gumaca did not immediately respond to request for comment. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
