To mark the eighth year in prison of the longest-detained political prisoner from the labor movement and call for the immediate freedom of political detainees from the sector, labor groups held an art exhibit and solidarity concert in the Commission of Human Rights compound in Quezon City today. 

The exhibit and concert titled “Paglaban and Paglaya” was organized by the Free Our Unionists network to mark labor organizer Maoj Maga’s eighth year in detention and call for the freedom of the 17 other political prisoners from the labor movement and all political prisoners in the country. 

“There are currently 18 political prisoners from the labor movement, and Maoj Maga is one of the first to be arrested. Arrested in 2018, he has been in prison for eight years now over trumped-up charges. With this exhibit and concert, we wish to amplify our demand to the Marcos Jr government for the freedom of Maoj and all detained unionists in the country,” said Kamz Deligente, executive director of labor NGO Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR).

Among the artists whose works were exhibited are Pauline Banjawan, Gap Arlegui, Oliver Rosales, Marlon Torres, Armand Dayoha and Reina Mae Nacino. The following artists, meanwhile, performed at the concert: Tambisan sa Sining, Sessionistas, Barangay Pesante Combo + Mara Peralta, Panday Sining, Dania Reyes and Sining Kadamay. 

Maoj was arrested on February 22, 2018 while playing basketball in San Mateo, Rizal. Police personnel who arrested him claimed finding a .45-caliber pistol and a magazine containing seven rounds of ammunition in his possession. They also claimed that they were serving an arrest warrant for the crime of murder issued by Judge Cesar P. Bordalba of the 10th Judicial Region in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Sur.

A lower court found him guilty of illegal possession of firearms on June 3, 2019, but the Court of Appeals reversed the decision on September 18, 2022, saying that the police carried out an illegal search on him. The gun found in his possession was planted evidence. He remains in prison, however, because of trumped-up murder charges, which are similar to those filed against detained unionists. 

The 18 political detainees from the labor movement are: Romina Astudillo, Pauline Banjawan, Felixberto Consad, Mark Ryan Cruz, Maritess David, Joel Demate, Tess Dioquino, Jayme Gregorio, Benny Hilamon, Nedo Lagunias, Maoj Maga, Steve Mendoza, Jose Puansing, Nolan Ramos, Bob Reyes, Oliver Rosales, Adelberto Silva, and Marlon Torres. Many political detainees from the labor movement who were imprisoned by Duterte have been released because courts junked the trumped-up cases against them. 

Apart from CTUHR, the Free Our Unionists network is composed of labor NGO Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center, national labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), public sector union center Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), progressive urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) and transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON). 

The network is also composed of KMU regional chapters and federations KMU-National Capital Region, Organized Labor Association in Line Industry and Agriculture (OLALIA)-KMU, and Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katasgalugan (PAMANTIK)-KMU; labor group Defend Jobs Philippines; and artists’ organization Tambisan sa Sining.