Agusan 6 face persecution, member taken by military

By Kaizzer Angela Marie Manuba

CAVITE – Grace Man-aning, a peasant organizer, was taken on August 11 into military custody by the 60th Infantry Battalion from the Agusan del Sur jail. 

According to Free Agusan 6 Network, at around 12:00 p.m. of August 11, paralegals received reports that members of the 60th Infantry Battalion entered the Agusan del Sur jail, presenting a court order granting the request to put Man-aning under military custody due to her being a “high value target” and that the provincial jail could not secure her. Witnesses said that Man-aning, upon being taken by the military, was sobbing, showing visible distress, fear, and unwillingness to be taken by the military.

Man-aning, also called “Nik-nik”, is part of the Agusan 6, a group of peasant organizers illegally arrested in Agusan del Sur on June 13.

Charisse Bernadine Bañez, Ronnie Igloria, Louvaine Erika Espina, Sinag Lugsi, Larry Montero, Daryl Man-Inday, Arjie Guino Dadizon, Grace “Nik-nik” Man-aning, and Leo Taba, along with their two drivers were arrested by elements of the 66th IB, 67th IB, 2nd Agusan del Sur Police Mobile Force Company, and Bunawan Municipal Police in a joint operation. The group was travelling from Monkayo, Davao de Oro when stopped at a checkpoint in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. 

The Free Agusan 6 Network said that the group was forcibly pulled out from their vehicle and was ordered to lie face down for around two hours. Their vehicles were searched without a warrant, their personal belongings were confiscated, and, when told to stand after two hours, their belongings were arranged with armaments and explosives before they were taken to Bunawan Municipal Police Station. 

The next day, June 14, Taba and the two drivers were reportedly separated and were no longer with the group. That same day, the quick response team dispatched paralegals  in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. They were blocked by the military and were prohibited from speaking to those in custody. 

While in detention, military officials interrogated the group from evening until morning, subjected them to psychological torture, and stationed soldiers to guard their cells. They delayed access to the arrested individuals’ basic needs for more than 36 hours and denied immediate communication with the families.

The Free Agusan 6 Network said that state forces illegally arrested the group without warrants while they were in transit, planted firearms and explosives as evidence, and filed trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. They stressed that the arresting officers did not wear body cameras. 

On July 7, three weeks after their arrest, Karapatan Southern Mindanao reported that Sinag Lugsi and Daryl Man-inday were coerced to issue certain statements under relentless military interrogation, harassment, and mental torture. According to Karapatan Southern Mindanao, the AFP’s Eastern Mindanao Command released a video on June 26 showing an unidentified man interrogating Lugsi and Man-inday on the whereabouts of Leo Taba who was reported missing after the illegal arrest. One of them responded with “Karon ra mi nakabalo [asa siya]” (“We just found out [where he is]”), followed by statement: “Naa ra daw [si Leo] sa kaaway” (“[Leo] is in the hands of the enemy”).

Agusan 6

Karapatan–SMR said that state agents interrogated, harassed and psychologically tortured the group while in police custody, stressing that they interfered in civilian custodial procedures and applied coercive tactics that caused severe distress and trauma.

They were arraigned on July 22. The trumped up charges against Charisse Bañez and Arjie Dadizo—both accused of attempted homicide and multiple homicide in a fabricated encounter—at the 5th Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Don Carlos, Bukidnon were provisionally dismissed on August 6. The group stressed that the dismissal did not clear Bañez and Dadizon, as the rest of the Agusan 6 still face two other politically motivated charges in courts in Bukidnon and Trento, Agusan del Sur.

Bañez, 36, has long led student and youth activism in the Philippines. She joined campaigns for Indigenous peoples and other marginalized sectors and lent her voice to justice efforts, including the case of Mary Jane Veloso.

Dadizon, 33, cultivates the land in North Cotabato, drawing his livelihood and sustenance from farming while facing both environmental and political challenges in the countryside.

Igloria, 59, farms in Compostela, Davao de Oro, and persists in organizing fellow farmers to defend their rights despite living with hypertension and enduring persistent struggles over land and livelihood.

Montero, 32, works as a farmer in Compostela, Davao de Oro, and aspires for a society where everyone has enough to eat, hunger is eliminated, and the land’s harvest is shared equitably.

Man-aning, who is now forcibly taken into military custody, is a 23-year old Talaingod Manobo from the highlands of Mindanao who continues the fight for ancestral land, cultural identity, and self-determination amid constant threats to her community’s survival.

Espina, 24, helped lead campaigns on issues affecting students,  such as the K-12 program, budget cuts, and rights of students to affordable, quality education. Her involvement in the Lakbayan ng mga Pambansang Minorya deepened her political commitment and solidarity with Lumad communities displaced by militarization and land grabbing in Mindanao.

The Free Agusan 6 Network said that what happened to Bañez and others is judicial harassment, as the government tries to suppress dissent. 

As of August 20, 2025, Regional Trial Court Branch 32 provisionally dismissed the attempted homicide charge against Louvaine Espina in Lupon, Davao Oriental.

The network reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of the Agusan 6. They urged the public, human rights defenders, and the international community to sustain their support and amplify the call for their freedom. (AMU, DAA)

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