March 14, 2025
Katribu, Tanggol Magsasaka, Karapatan, Agham, United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), and Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) conducted a search and humanitarian mission from March 10 to 12 in Agusan del Sur and surrounding areas. The mission aimed to look into the situation of arrested Lumad leader Michelle Campos and companions, and search for another missing Lumad leader Genasque Enriquez.
According to Campos, she and three others were arrested at 10:00 PM on March 5 by the 3rd Special Forces Battalion under the operational control of the 401st Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army (Armed Forces of the Philippines). They were then admitted to the Democrito O. Plaza Memorial Hospital in Brgy. Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur. Despite repeated attempts, the military initially denied her family, legal counsel, and rights workers access to visit her. Only after persistent assertions of Michelle’s rights to be visited did the humanitarian team secure a visit.
However, even during these visits, the military personnel who were stationed in and around Michelle’s ward continued their harassment, intimidation, and surveillance. They took photos of private individuals including Michelle’s family and refused to allow privacy which intimidated and obstructed the work of rights workers and the legal counsel. Meanwhile, military personnel freely and repeatedly visit Michelle, including military officials.
A warrant of arrest was only served to Michelle when she was in the hospital, and not at the moment of arrest. Michelle is also facing several trumped-up charges that remain unknown to her and her counsel.
Michelle Campos is a Lumad youth leader. She is the daughter of Dionel Campos, one of the three community leaders brutally murdered in the Lianga Massacre of 2015. Michelle led campaigns to call for justice for the Lianga Massacre and to assert Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
The humanitarian team also searched for Genasque Enriquez who was last seen on March 2 in Los Arcos, Surigao del Sur. The team presented inquiry forms regarding the whereabouts of Genasque to several military camps and police stations. The Agusan del Sur Provincial Police Station received the inquiry form. Camp Bancasi of the 402nd Infantry Brigade also received the form with resistance and intimidation towards the team. The 401st Infantry Brigade refused to receive and acknowledge the inquiry form, and resorted to delaying tactics despite the team’s request for urgency and refused to cooperate in any way. This is a clear violation of Republic Act No. 10353, or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act, which mandates all agencies including military camps, police stations, and hospitals to acknowledge and respond to such inquiries.
Genasque Enriquez is a Lumad leader who was at the forefront of campaigns to protect ancestral lands and the environment against destructive large-scale mining operations. He was active in exposing and condemning rights violations against the Indigenous Peoples and human rights defenders. He faced reprisals in the form of fabricated charges to silence his activism. In 2014, he was unlawfully arrested on the trumped-up charge of murder but was eventually released on bail. Enriquez served as the secretary-general of Lumad organization Kahugpungan sa mga Lumadnong Organisasyon (KASALO).
The team also visited the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Caraga on March 11 to report and seek assistance on the arrests of Michelle and her companions and on Genasque’s disappearance. We welcome the immediate response and assistance of the CHR.
We urgently call for the immediate release of Michelle Campos and her three companions from military custody. Under no circumstances should they be transferred to military camps after their recovery in the hospital. If any charges have been filed, they must be handled through civilian legal processes, not military detention.
We also demand the immediate surfacing of Genasque Enriquez. It has been 12 days since his disappearance, and authorities must fulfill their legal obligations under the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act to acknowledge inquiries and provide information on his whereabouts.
The ongoing harassment, intimidation, and enforced disappearances targeting Indigenous leaders must end. Michelle and Genasque have dedicated their lives to defending their people’s right to self-determination and ancestral lands — they must not be punished for standing up against corporate and state encroachment. We demand justice, accountability, and their immediate freedom. #
Reference: Funa-ay Claver, spokesperson
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