My children are brave. They fight not only for themselves but for the people.

By Shan Kenshin Ecaldre 
Bulatlat.com 

Cabuyao, LAGUNA — Fatima Banjawan’s voice trembled over the phone as she spoke to her family from her detention cell. She told them that three plainclothes soldiers had visited her in her cell on February 19, 2026 accompanied by a man claiming to be a “rebel returnee.”

Her mother, Rowena Banjawan of Mothers and Children for the Protection of Human Rights (MCPHR), described the visit as yet another attempt to intimidate her daughter.

“Fatima is already in jail even though she has done nothing wrong,” Rowena said in a statement. “Yet the soldiers continue to harass her. They have no mercy.”

Fatima, a young woman’s rights and community organizer from Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte, was arrested at her home on August 2, 2024, without a warrant by soldiers from the 85th Infantry Battalion.

Her family recalled the night in horror. She was reportedly blindfolded, ordered to lie face-down at gunpoint, and threatened that she would be forced to “dig her own grave” if she did not admit to being part of the New People’s Army (NPA).

She was interrogated overnight at a military camp. Soldiers displayed firearms, explosives, and wires, claiming they belonged to her. Authorities later charged her with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Supporters said that these items were actually clothes and medicine intended for humanitarian work with farmers and rural communities.

Fatima’s sister Pauline Joy also faced charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Pauline had just given birth when she was arrested and allegedly subjected to abduction, torture, and threats against her newborn and family.

Since April 2025, she endured repeated visits from military personnel in Batangas Provincial Jail, pressuring her to admit to charges she stressed were fabricated.

Struggle for justice

Rowena said that she is heartbroken but resolute. “My children are brave. They fight not only for themselves but for the people. Yet this is how the state treats them, intimidation, harassment, and fear.”

She denounced the double standard in the justice system: “It is the poor and those who fight for rights who are jailed, while those who steal, oppress, and kill remain free.”

Human rights groups and advocates continue to call for the immediate release of Fatima and Pauline, as well as other political prisoners. “We will not be silenced,” Rowena said. “All we ask is justice, and for our daughters to come home.” (AMU, DAA)