Surface Binay Serrano! Free Christina Pasion!Stop the Persecution of Indigenous Peoples and Their Defenders!

KATRIBU strongly condemns the illegal arrest of Mangyan-Buhid woman Binay Serrano and community organizer Christina Pasion on July 30, 2026, in Cabuyao, Laguna. We demand that the authorities immediately surface Binay Serrano, whose whereabouts remain unknown, and immediately release Christina Pasion.

Serrano and Pasion were arrested by elements of the 68th Infantry Battalion, the 203rd Infantry Brigade, and the Philippine National Police based on baseless allegations linking them to the New People's Army. Both were undergoing medical treatment in Laguna at the time of their arrest. The continued refusal of state forces to disclose Binay Serrano's location raises serious concerns of enforced disappearance and places her life and safety in grave danger.

Their arrest came only a day after military operations in Brgy. Del Pilar, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, where residents were forcibly displaced through military operations involving armored vehicles. These incidents demonstrate the intensifying militarization in Mindoro and the continuing use of military force, intimidation, and unfounded accusations against Indigenous Peoples and those who stand with them.

Binay Serrano is a Mangyan-Buhid from Oriental Mindoro and an organizer of Bigkis at Lakas ng mga Katutubo sa Timog Katagalugan (BALATIK). Like many Mangyan who have been forced to leave their communities because of relentless militarization and landgrabbing, she has dedicated herself to advancing the struggle for ancestral land rights, self-determination, and the welfare of Indigenous communities in Mindoro. 

The persecution of Binay Serrano is not an isolated incident. It reflects the worsening pattern of criminalization targeting Indigenous leaders, organizers, and human rights defenders across the country. Time and again, Indigenous Peoples asserting their collective rights are subjected to surveillance, harassment, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, fabricated charges, and other forms of political persecution. These attacks are intended to silence legitimate resistance and clear the way for destructive development projects and intensified military operations in Indigenous territories.

KATRIBU likewise condemns the arrest of Christina Pasion, whose commitment to organizing alongside marginalized communities demonstrates the solidarity that the state seeks to punish through intimidation and false accusations.

We call for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the illegal arrest of Binay Serrano and Christina Pasion, the continued concealment of Serrano's whereabouts, and the military operations in Oriental Mindoro that resulted in the forced displacement of civilians. Those responsible for these grave human rights violations must be held accountable.

Surface Binay Serrano now!Free Christina Pasion!Stop the attacks on Indigenous Peoples!

Reference: Funa-ay Claver, Secretary-General