Movement Against Tyranny Cebu

01/09/2026

CALL FOR DONATIONS! JUNK ALL TRUMPED-UP CHARGES AGAINST JOHN RUIZ!

Following the recent arrest of John Ruiz, MAKABAYAN Vice President for Visayas, we are calling for donations for his bail bond.

John is a mass-leader and activist who advocates for the welfare of the basic masses and courageously expresses dissent against the inequalities of our systems.

This state sponsored attack is part of the ongoing crackdown on activists whose calls are legitimate and highly relevant to our worsening sociopolitical and economic conditions.

Let us help free John Ruiz! You may donate through these channels:

MARIBANK

CLEISTEIL CIMAFRANCA
10409410178

We appreciate all the help and effort for this cause! Free All Political Prisoners! Junk Trumped-up Charges Against John Ruiz!

28/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE

July 28, 2026

BAYAN Central Visayas hits Marcos’ “predictive” disaster response claims as Cebu remembers Tino devastation

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Central Visayas slammed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s claim that his administration has shifted to a “predictive” approach to disaster response, saying that such claims cannot hide the government’s failure to address the root causes of worsening disasters, flooding, and corruption.

“Kung tinuod nga predictive na ang disaster response, nganong bisan gamayng ulan, baha gihapon ang atong mga komunidad? Sa pagsulod sa ting-uwan ug panahon sa mga bagyo, ang katawhan nag-atubang gihapon sa hulga sa pagbaha ug pagkaguba sa panginabuhian. Dili igo ang pag-preposition og relief goods kung ang gobyerno mismo napakyas sa pagpatuman og epektibong flood control ug disaster mitigation,” said BAYAN Central Visayas Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan.

BAYAN Central Visayas also questioned the administration's handling of corruption in flood control projects. The group said that the reported recovery of around P800 million and the freezing of several billion pesos are insignificant compared with the hundreds of billions in public funds allocated for flood control. It demanded that all those responsible, including government officials, politicians, and contractors, be exposed and held accountable, rather than limiting investigations to a few individuals.

“Si Marcos ang Hari ng Korapsyon, apan gusto niyang ipakita nga siya ang nagapanguna sa pagpanubag. Samtang si Sara Duterte, ang Rayna ng Korapsyon, nag-atubang sa impeachment, dili dapat malimtan nga ang korapsyon dili lang problema sa usa ka pamilya o paksyon. Kabahin kini sa sistema nga atong gitawag og burukrata kapitalismo, diin ang pondo sa katawhan mahimong tinubdan sa ganansya sa mga nagkupot sa gahum,” Paglinawan said.

The group stressed that the worsening impact of floods and calamities is not merely a natural phenomenon but is aggravated by corruption, environmental destruction, and policies that prioritize the interests of big business and foreign powers over the welfare of the Filipino people. BAYAN Central Visayas said the country's dependence on foreign powers and the continued dominance of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism prevent genuine solutions to the people's economic and environmental crises.

“Ang tinuod nga predictive response mao ang pagpugong sa problema sa wala pa moabot ang kalamidad, dili ang paghulat nga malumos ang katawhan una molihok. Dili nato tugotan nga ang mga saad sa SONA mahimong tabon sa korapsyon ug kapakyasan sa rehimen,” Paglinawan said.

BAYAN Central Visayas called for the full exposure of corruption in flood control projects, and all of them must face accountability, including the President and Vice President who are the most corrupt in our country.

# # #

JAIME PAGLINAWAN
Chairperson
BAYAN Central Visayas

28/07/2026

27/07/2026

14/07/2026

We deeply mourn the passing of Retired Judge Meinrado P. Paredes.

As a lawyer, a judge, or an activist, he remained unwavering in his conviction that justice must always serve the people.

Though he has departed, his legacy lives on in our continuing struggle for justice, human rights, and genuine freedom.

We invite everyone to join us as we pay tribute to a life dedicated to service and justice.

Memorial Tribute
📍 Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapel, Lahug, Cebu City
🗓️ July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
🕒 3:00 PM

11/07/2026

REMEMBERING FATHER RUDY ROMANO: THE PRIEST WHO CHOSE THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE

Forty-one years ago today, Fr. Rudy Romano, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest, human rights defender, and revolutionary servant of the Filipino people, was forcibly disappeared by suspected state agents under the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. On July 11, 1985, Fr. Romano was abducted in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City. More than four decades later, he remains missing, making him one of the country's enduring symbols of the struggle against state repression and enforced disappearance.

Born in Villareal, Samar, Fr. Rudy entered the Redemptorist congregation at a young age and was ordained a priest in 1964 during the transformative period of the Second Vatican Council. Inspired by the Church's renewed commitment to the poor and oppressed, he chose not the comforts of the clergy but a life immersed in the struggles of workers, peasants, fisherfolk, urban poor communities, and indigenous peoples throughout the Visayas and Mindanao.

As Martial Law deepened poverty, militarization, and political repression, Fr. Rudy's ministry evolved into one of prophetic witness. He stood with striking workers on factory picket lines, joined communities resisting demolitions, accompanied political prisoners and their families, and exposed human rights violations committed by the Marcos dictatorship. He believed that genuine Christian service meant taking the side of the oppressed and confronting the structures that perpetuated exploitation and injustice.

Fr. Rudy became one of the key builders of the people's movement in the Visayas. He helped establish the Visayas Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace (VEMJP), served as executive secretary of the Coalition Against Political Persecution (CAPP), supported labor organizations such as Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo (AMA Sugbo), and participated in the welgang bayan that challenged the dictatorship's anti-people policies.

When Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) was founded in May 1985 as the broadest alliance of patriotic and democratic organizations in the country, Fr. Rudy was elected as its first Vice President for the Visayas. His election reflected the trust he had earned among workers, peasants, church people, professionals, youth, and other democratic sectors united in the struggle for national freedom and genuine democracy.

His growing prominence also made him a target of the fascist state. Barely two months after BAYAN's founding congress, Fr. Rudy was abducted by suspected military operatives in Cebu City. He has never been surfaced. His enforced disappearance remains one of the countless crimes committed against those who dared to stand with the Filipino people during the Marcos dictatorship.

Today, 41 years since his disappearance, Fr. Rudy Romano's life continues to inspire generations of activists, church workers, and ordinary Filipinos to carry forward the struggle he embraced. His legacy reminds us that faith is inseparable from the people's aspiration for justice, that service must be rooted in solidarity with the oppressed, and that genuine peace cannot exist without national liberation, democracy, and social justice.

To remember Fr. Rudy Romano is not merely to honor his memory, but to continue the struggle he chose—to stand with the masses, resist state repression, demand justice for all victims of enforced disappearance, and advance the Filipino people's fight for national democracy and a just, lasting peace.

10/07/2026

Remembering Fr. Rudy Romano and Levi Ybañez: Remembering the Disappeared, Pursuing Justice and Accountability.

On July 11, we commemorate the 41st anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Redemptorist priest Fr. Rudy Romano and student activist Levi Ybañez, who were abducted separately by members of the Marcos Military Intelligence Group on July 11, 1985, in Cebu City.

Fr. Rudy devoted his life to serving the poor, defending human rights, and advancing the cause of peace and social justice. As the first Vice President for the Visayas of BAYAN and Executive Secretary of the Coalition Against People's Persecution, he stood alongside marginalized communities and those whose voices were often silenced. Levi Ybañez, a young student activist and human rights worker, shared the same commitment to justice and the defense of people's rights.

More than four decades later, their fate remains unknown, and justice has yet to be served. Their disappearance stands as a painful reminder of the many victims of enforced disappearance during the Marcos dictatorship, and of the continuing calls to end impunity and uphold human rights.

As we honor the memory and legacy of Fr. Rudy Romano and Levi Ybañez, we reaffirm our commitment to truth, justice, accountability, and the pursuit of a just and lasting peace.

Join us in commemorating their lives and continuing the call for justice:

8:00 AM – Prayer Service
Fr. Rudy Romano Marker, Brgy. Tisa, Cebu City

5:30 PM – Holy Mass
Redemptorist Church

6:30 PM – Program and Candle-Lighting Ceremony
Fr. Rudy Romano Marker beside Redemptorist Church

03/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE
July 3, 2026

BAYAN Central Visayas joins National and Global Day of Action against Terror Laws

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Central Visayas joins the National and Global Day of Action on July 3, marking the sixth year since the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and condemning its continued use, along with the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, as instruments of repression by the US-Marcos Jr. regime.

According to BAYAN Central Visayas Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan, anti-terror laws have been weaponized to intimidate the people, silence dissent, and suppress legitimate struggles for social change and democratic rights.

“Sulod sa unom ka tuig, klaro nga gigamit ang Anti-Terror Act aron hulgaon, pasakaan og hinimo-himong kaso ug prisohon ang mga aktibista, progresibong pundok, ug tanang mosukol sa inhustisya,” said Paglinawan.

The group stressed that the Philippine experience demonstrates how anti-terror laws have been systematically used for red-tagging, terror-tagging, lawfare, and political persecution of activists, revolutionary forces, people's organizations, and government critics.

In Central Visayas, BAYAN pointed to the recent dismissal of the terrorism financing case against the 27 active and former members of the Cebu-based Community Empowerment Resource Network (Cernet) by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74. The court ruled that the alleged acts did not constitute a crime under the laws in effect at the time, exposing what BAYAN described as the weaponization of anti-terror and anti-money laundering laws against humanitarian workers and development organizations.

The dismissal of the charges against the Cernet 27, alongside other development workers from the Leyte Center for Development (LCDE), whose case was dismissed by the Tacloban Regional Trial Court in February 2026, and the Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group, Inc. (PDG), whose case was dismissed by RTC Branch 31 in March 2026, is proof that these laws are repeatedly used to harass and persecute organizations serving marginalized communities. Even if the cases eventually collapse in court, the process itself becomes punishment through years of red-tagging, legal harassment, and intimidation.

The group also cited the recent dismissal by a Baguio court of the petition filed by leaders of the Cordillera People's Alliance challenging their terrorist designation by the Anti-Terrorism Council, saying these cases reflect a broader pattern of criminalizing dissent and people's organizations.

As the United Nations reviews its Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy following the Global Counter-Terrorism Week, BAYAN Central Visayas asserted that imperialist powers, particularly the United States, have utilized global counter-terror frameworks and institutions to justify attacks on people's movements and democratic rights.

“Dili terorismo ang pagpangayo og yuta, trabaho, edukasyon ug hustisya. Ang tinuod nga terorismo mao ang sistematikong paglapas sa katungod sa katawhan pinaagi sa mga balaod nga gigamit sa estado aron pugngan ang pagsukol ug panawagan sa kausaban. Ang kaso sa Cernet 27 usa ka klarong ehemplo kung giunsa paggamit ang mga balaod kontra-terorismo aron targeton ang mga organisasyong nag-alagad sa katawhan,” Paglinawan added.

BAYAN Central Visayas called on all sectors to intensify the campaign for the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, end the filing of fabricated charges against activists and development workers, and hold the US-Marcos Jr. regime accountable for its attacks on civil liberties and human rights. # # #

Jaime Paglinawan
Chairperson
BAYAN Central Visayas

Photo by Tug-ani