Negros lawyer, human rights worker seek Supreme Court protection

MANILA – Lawyering for the most disadvantaged sectors is not a crime.

A Negros-based lawyer and a human rights worker traveled to Manila on March 5 to ask for the Supreme Court’s protection through writs of amparo and habeas data. They were joined by fellow human rights advocates from Negros and Manila.

“My clients are farmers, workers, urban poor, political prisoners, and journalists,” said petitioner Rey Gorgonio who is also the chairperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL)-Negros. “Due to my work in defending them, we have been subjected to intense surveillance to the point of receiving death threats.”

On January 25, 2026, Gorgonio received a death threat while conducting a public forum on the writ of kalikasan and the campaign to stop the palm oil plantation in Candoni. On the same day, Negros development worker Joselito Macapobre first saw the death threat sent through a text message addressed Gorgonio.  

Read: Negros human rights workers face harassment

Macapobre, who is also part of the Paghida-et Kauswagan Development Group (PDG), survived an abduction attempt on January 18, 2026 after delivering seed relief assistance to farmers. He was seized by three armed men and was forced to a waiting van. He managed to break free and escape with the help of nearby farmer leaders.

“I am a community organizer for farmers and fisherfolks communities in Negros,” Macapobre said. “Instead of helping us to provide services for these communities, we have been subjected to attack by the state forces themselves.”

Writs of amparo and habeas data are immediate legal reliefs in the Philippines available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security is violated. If the writ of amparo is granted, the court may issue protection orders or tailored reliefs to protect the petitioner’s life. The writ of habeas data, meanwhile, orders the respondents to disclose, update, rectify, or destroy unlawfully collected personal data that violate a person’s life, liberty, and security.

“Threats against counsel impair the right to due process, erode the independence of the legal profession, and undermine public confidence in the administration of justice,” NUPL said in a statement. 

The group said that the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers mandate that lawyers must be able to work without intimidation, hindrance, harassment, or improper interference, and must not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes.

International principles state that when the security of lawyers is threatened as a result of discharging their functions, they shall be adequately safeguarded by the authorities.

“We are not asking for special treatment here,” NUPL Secretary General Josa Deinla said. “We are merely seeking the protection of the fundamental right to counsel, which is an integral part of the due process.”

Under the Marcos, Jr. administration, at least 10 lawyers have been killed due to their work, according to Deinla. She said that three of their members are facing trumped-up financing terrorism charges because they provided legal services for the grassroots sectors.

Human rights alliance Karapatan urged the Supreme Court to grant the petitions for protective writs due to the dangers faced by the human rights workers in the Negros province.

“The threats against Gorgonio and PDG workers are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic campaign of intimidation and red-tagging against political dissenters, human rights lawyers and development workers,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said. “The filing of the writs of amparo and habeas data is both necessary and urgent, to protect those under attack.”

The Supreme Court issued a ruling on May 8, 2024 that red-tagging is a threat to people’s life, liberty, and security. Branding an individual or an organization as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army subject them to grave human rights violations.

Read: Progressive groups welcome SC’s ruling on red-tagging

The NUPL submitted a communique on December 5, 2025 concerning the red-tagging and harassment against them. The matter has been referred to the Supreme Court Committee on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. 

They asked the committee to take note of the subsequent developments, convene a dialogue, and develop institutional safeguards within the judiciary consistent with the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) and international standards.

Twenty-four international lawyers groups expressed their support for Gorgonio and the Negros communities he represents. They urged the Philippine government to have protection measures and to conduct prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation.

“Attacks and threats against lawyers represent a direct assault on the independence of the legal profession and undermine the right of individuals and communities to access justice,” the international groups said in a statement. “Such actions create a chilling effect deterring other lawyers from taking up cases which are vital to ensure human rights and access to justice for all in the Philippines.” (DAA, RVO)

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