MANILA, Philippines — At least nine were killed and six others were arrested on Sunday in simultaneous police operations across Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), the Police Regional Office 4A (PRO4A) said.
Of the 9 killed, PRO 4A information officer Lt. Col. Chitadel Gaoiran said six were reported in Rizal, two in Batangas, and one in Cavite.
Meanwhile, three of the six arrested were from Rizal and the other three were from Laguna.
Gaoiran said eight individuals in Rizal and one in Rizal remain at large.
“[Twenty four] po lahat na SW [search warrant] ang sinerve. May mga nakuha pong explosives at assorted firearms sa mga suspects,” Gaoiran told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
In a statement, activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said among those killed in the crackdown was their Cavite coordinator Manny Assuncion while among those arrested was their Laguna spokesperson Mags Camora.
BAYAN said the house of their Batangas coordinator Lino Baez was also raided.
“We demand that all those arrested be freed and that an independent, credible investigation into the simultaneous raids be done by Congress and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to hold those responsible to account,” BAYAN said.
“We likewise demand that the Supreme Court take immediate steps to prevent the further weaponization of search warrants and other judicial instruments to silence activists, political dissenters, and government critics,” it added. — With a report from Cathrine Gonzales