Philippines: Detention of Cultural Activist Charlize Garzon Condemned
Featured image: Logo of Kabataang Makabayan (KM). Source: Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC).
The New People’s Army defeated the 68th Infantry Battalion in Occidental Mindoro, on March the 29th, 2026. This was the second encounter in one week. An officer was eliminated and two other soldiers were injured. After this defeat, the old State’s soldiers ran away, and in retaliation, they kidnapped one civilian, a cultural young activist, Charlize Garzon, known as “Ceeka” by her friends and relatives.
We have recently reported on these blows dealt by the NPA:
Charlize Garzon volunteered in a program in poor communities and used her dedication as a cultural activist for this task. PRWC highlights that “The fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines have a proven record of violating the laws of war, such as illegal detention, filing trumped-up cases, abuse, and torture of their detainees. It is appropriate to release the detained civilian and oppose the imminent filing of trumped-up cases against him by the puppet state.”
Kabataang Makabayan – Balangay John Paul Calica, has condemned the arrest of the young activist. They state that this is a “desperate attempt to cover up their failure in the encounter that occurred with the New People’s Army (NPA) unit” and they are trying to portray Ceeka as “a terrorist”. Her fellow students, mother, sister, and human right groups in the area are also facing harassment.
They stress that Ceeka left “behind the comforts of the city to live and serve the indigenous Mangyan-Buhid people. Her move to the countryside was not a crime but an honorable response to the call to serve.”
KM finishes the statement by encouraging “all youth to go to the countryside, take up arms, and join the New People’s Army.”
The full statement by KM can be read here:
