The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of former political prisoners, joins trade union activists and other rights defenders in calling for the release of union organizer Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes, who is scheduled for a hearing at Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 226 today on trumped-up charges of illegal possession of explosives. He is one of 22 unionists arrested and held in various detention centers nationwide.
Reyes, convenor of Defend Job Philippines and coordinator of Sandigan ng Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), was arrested by five men in civilian clothes on June 2, 2018 in Barangay San Antonio, Quezon City. The men turned out to be operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-National Capital Region.
For his long-time work as a unionist, Reyes had been harassed,red-tagged and threatened, and together with other beleaguered unionists had petitioned the courts for protection in 2015 through a writ of amparo and habeas data. The State’s response has been to ignore the petition and further hound the petitioners and haul them in jail. Reyes and his co-petitioners — Antonietta Dizon, Oliver and Rowena Rosales — have since been arrested on similar trumped-up charges.
As they have done with many other arrested activists, the CIDG planted evidence on Bob’s person—in this case, a.38 cal revolver, ammunition and several meters of detonating cord—and charged him with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. He was also shown warrants for arson and murder in Agusan del Norte. He later found out that he faces a total of 13 cases in Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur, places he had never been to.
“Bob has already been acquitted of the charge of illegal possession of firearms,” said SELDA vice chairperson Danilo dela Fuente. “All his cases in Agusan del Norte have also been provisionally dismissed for failure of the prosecution to present witnesses. But he still has to hurdle this trumped-up case of illegal possession of explosives as well as three other cases in Surigao del Sur.”
“Bob has already endured six years and eight months of unjust detention,” added Dela Fuente. “In the name of truth, fairness and justice, we appeal to the court to see through the prosecution’s veil of lies and deception, and acquit him.”
“One less case means that Bob is a step closer to freedom,” said Dela Fuente.