The PHRA Coalition demands the immediate release of Filipino-American Christina Pasion from Philippine Military Custody
On July 30, the Philippine military arrested Filipino-American activist Christina Pasion and indigenous leader Binay Serrano while they were seeking medical support in Cabuyao, Laguna. Pasion remains in custody by the Bureau of Immigration, while Serrano is currently detained at the San Jose District Jail in Occidental Mindoro on trumped up charges after the military refused to disclose her location for nearly 3 days.
Last week, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington State released a Congressional letter signed by 10 other legislators that questioned the Philippine government's narrative regarding the massacre in Toboso, Negros earlier this year that killed 19 people, including 9 civilians. In this letter, the Rep. Jayapal and her colleagues stated the the killings were "representative of a broader pattern of Philippine Armed Forces failing to distinguish between combatants and civilians during counterinsurgency campaigns, which has previously resulted in deaths of activists and members of civil society during combat operations." This failure to distinguish clearly violates international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime.
They also raised concerns regarding the use of "terror-tagging" or "red-tagging" to target activists which has been "used to justify not only baseless criminal charges, but also extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, assets freezes, and violations of due process, free speech, and peaceful assembly." This is in line with the Trump administration's increased efforts to bring together countries to collaborate with the U.S. under alleged increase of violence led by the "left", designating and criminalizing progressive movements fighting for independence and sovereignty as "far-left terrorists." Last month, PH ambassador Romualdez presented on the Philippines' experience on information sharing and operational cooperation at Rubio's "Far-Left Terrorism" Conference. Romualdez openly admitted to the Philippine state's role in U.S. counterinsurgency and surveillance.
In the months leading up to Pasion's arrest, the Philippine military released public statements claiming Pasion was a member of the New People's Army and threatening for her and her family to surrender to state forces. Shortly after she was taken into custody, several of Philippine military social media pages were quick to release public statements making similar claims and announce they are holding her in military prison. This practice is clearly part of the Philippine government's deadly counterinsurgency program that is funded in part by U.S. tax dollars.
We are deeply concerned about the increasing repression targeting specifically Filipino-Americans who seek to learn more about their homeland and serve impoverished communities there.
We call on U.S. based officials to advocate for Christina Pasion's immediate release from military custody and her safe return home. We call for the release of Binay Serrano and further inquiry into whether U.S. security assistance and weaponry are being used in the ongoing military operations against communities including instances of aerial bombings and indiscriminate firings and strafing.