Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) reported a decline in the number of political prisoners in Negros Island after the acquittal of the so-called ‘Mabinay 6’ on Monday, September 22.
In an interview with Brigada News FM Kabankalan, HRAN said that the number of political detainees in the island has decreased from 142 to 110 in the first half of 2025.
The group described the acquittal of six activists jailed since 2018 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives as a significant development.
The court acquitted Myles Albasin, Carlo Ybañes, Joemar Indico, Joey Vailoces, Bernard Guillen, and Randel Hermino.
Hermino is the brother-in-law of Emily Fausto, one of the surviving kin of the Fausto couple who, along with their two children, were ruthlessly killed in Himamaylan City in 2023.
Meanwhile, Guillen is the son of Kabankalan farmer Bernardo Guillen, whom human rights groups alleged was beheaded by the military in 2020—an accusation the latter denied and dismissed as “fake news.”
Rappler reported that one of the group’s defense lawyers and former Bayan Muna representative Carlos Isagani Zarate said that the case was dismissed because prosecutors presented inconsistent evidence and mishandled the firearms allegedly seized.
“The truth came out—that the guns and ammunition were planted and the evidence manufactured. Justice has finally been served for those unjustly imprisoned on trumped-up charges,” HRAN said.
HRAN added that despite the decline in political detainees, Negros remains “one of the deadliest” areas for activists under the Marcos Jr. administration.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.