RELEASE CEEKA GARZON NOW! DRIVE THE FASCIST MILITARY OUT OF THE COUNTRYSIDE! THERE IS NO CRIME IN STUDYING PHILIPPINE SOCIETY!
On March 29, 2026, Charlize “Ceeka” Garzon – a cultural worker and Arts Management graduate (Magna Cum Laude) from De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde – was illegally arrested by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). She was seized by elements of the 68th Infantry Battalion and the 203rd Infantry Brigade, who falsely claimed that her arrest resulted from an encounter with the New People’s Army.
Her photos were staged and publicly circulated to portray her as being armed – an outright fabrication meant to justify her illegal detention. According to fact-finding reports, Ceeka was subjected to physical and psychological torture by the 203rd Infantry Brigade, 68th Infantry Battalion, and the 2nd Civil-Military Operations unit, under the command of Brig. Gen. Melencio W. Ragudo, Lt. Col. Adrian Mark Gullunan, and P/Lt. Ariel Roldan.
In reality, Ceeka’s expresses solidarity with the oppressed masses. She went to the rural communities of Mindoro to study and document the conditions of the Mangyan people, who suffer from deep poverty, land grabbing, and militarization. Garzon also volunteered as a teacher in these communities, providing free education to impoverished children. It is through these actions that she faced the ire of the AFP and the U.S.-Marcos Jr. regime – who have been intensifying military activities in Mindoro province which have displaced communities and continue to disrupt their livelihoods.
In Sitio Salafay, home to the Mangyan-Buhid indigenous people, residents are under threat from the Lipitan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project. This project plans to construct two dams along the Kayakyan and Busuanga rivers under the guise of “development,” yet it has no genuine consent from the affected communities. Around 40,000 community members will be affected by these destructive projects.
The APCHRP calls for Charlize “Ceeka” Garzon’s immediate release. She bears no responsibility for the violence of a repressive and neglectful regime. Instead, it is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his U.S. imperialist masters who must be held accountable for widespread human rights violations and corruption.
We demand the full implementation and respect of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and International Humanitarian Law, which mandate the protection of civilians and those hors de combat.
Free Ceeka now! End militarization in the countryside!
