Sabukan On! Groups amplify call to free Indigenous Peoples, Moro, and Advocate Political Prisoners

PRESS RELEASE

April 16, 2026

QUEZON CITY — Indigenous Peoples, Moro, and human rights groups gathered today at the University of the Philippines Diliman for the Sabukan On! forum, intensifying calls for the immediate release of political prisoners, specifically Indigenous Peoples, Moro, and rights advocates who continue to face unjust detention under fabricated charges.

Sabukan On! is a Manobo term which means “Palayain, Ngayon Na!”, reflecting the urgency of the campaign’s demand for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

The forum was organized by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, Sandugo Movement of Moro and Indigenous Peoples for Self-Determination, and Bai Indigenous Women’s Network, along with other advocacy groups. It served as a platform to highlight the worsening criminalization of marginalized communities and their defenders and underscored the urgency of freeing those imprisoned for their political conviction and activism.

Current data show that there are 194 Indigenous Peoples, Moro, and advocate political prisoners. However, the groups emphasized that the figures represent verified available data, with some cases still being further documented, particularly in terms of Indigenous group affiliation.Among those documented political prisoners are Dumagat Indigenous Peoples Rocky Torres and Dandoy Avellaneda, Lumad woman Michelle Campos, National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Consultants Kennedy Bangibang and Loida Magpatoc, and advocates Emilio Gabales III and Aldeem Yañez, whose continued detention highlights the ongoing criminalization of political dissent and Indigenous resistance.

The data further reveal that 21 individuals were arrested under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while 60 arrests occurred during the Duterte administration, demonstrating the continuity of repressive policies across regimes. Among the most common trumped-up charges filed against political prisoners are 60 cases of kidnapping, 13 cases of murder, and 11 cases of attempted murder—charges widely criticized as tools to silence dissent.

Bontok-Kankanaey Beverly Longid, National Convener of Katribu, stated, “The continued detention of Indigenous Peoples, Moro, and advocates is a clear manifestation of state repression. They are not criminals but defenders of land, life, and self-determination. Their imprisonment is meant to silence legitimate struggles.”

Meanwhile, Lumad-Manobo Julieta Gomez of Sandugo, herself a former political prisoner, said, “We know firsthand the injustice of being imprisoned for crimes we did not commit. The voices of those still behind bars must be heard, and their freedom must be urgently ensured.”

As the forum concluded, participants reiterated that genuine justice can only be achieved by upholding human rights, recognizing the legitimacy of people’s struggles, and ensuring that no one is imprisoned for defending their rights to ancestral lands and self-determination. #

Reference:

Katribu Public Information Desk,

+63 969 024 4465