True Perpetrators of Violence Must Fear the People Who Fight for Justice: Free Edel Parducho and Three Odeña Now!
- Media Communications
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) stands in solidarity with human rights defender Edel Parducho and youth activist Three Odeña, and their respective organizations, as they were illegally arrested and detained by the Philippine National Police (PNP) - Eastern Police District (EPD) during the commemoration of the 40th EDSA People Power on Feb. 25, 2026.
The PNP's defense of their use of excessive force in illegally arresting Odeña and Parducho, stating they observed ‘maximum tolerance,’ is absurd. What they’ve observed is a complete betrayal of the Filipino people, as they worked so hard to disrupt the supposedly smooth-sailing EDSA People Power commemoration and violate the people’s right to protest. They have been observing the maximum tolerance of the corrupt government officials and the ultra-rich who perpetrate this rotten system. The police perfectly commemorated the people power uprising by reminding the people whom they protect.
Contingents of the PMCJ, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), and other organizations were pushed by police attempting to shove them into a single lane. All throughout the mobilization, the police force consistently attempted to decimate the ranks, but the protesters successfully pushed back and finished the program at EDSA Shrine.
SANLAKAS said in a statement that rally organizers met with top officials of the EPD to reach an agreement on the orderly conduct of the protest march to avoid clogging EDSA. “In 2024 and 2025, groups have peacefully staged rallies on the same stretch of road. The National Capital Region Police Office rejected the plan. Organizers warned that this would result in an EDSA gridlock. This was exactly what happened.”
As of writing, the two activists are detained in different police precincts and are facing at least five fabricated charges. Earlier, SPARK conducted an indignation rally in front of the Mandaluyong Police Headquarters, where the inquest proceedings of Odeña and Parducho were being held.
State violence manifests in many ways: In basic services, it is in the form of privatization, where the state abdicates its social protection role for its people in favor of profit-hungry businesses; In its support of the fossil fuel giants making people living near its projects sick; In corrupting people’s funds, and letting the people and planet drown and die in massive flooding. Maintaining the system that kills people is violence.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. told the protesters, 'Your rights end when violence begins.' We say that the violence did not end after EDSA. It begins every time the very government you protect violates people’s rights. In 1986, the EDSA uprising ousted a fascist dictator and put an end to its evil reign. As history proves, the people will not waver until a just and humane society is achieved. The accomplices of the ones who continue to perform crimes against humanity must fear the time when we, the people, take back our power.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Odeña and Parducho! ###
For inquiries, contact:Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
Viber: +639916692356
WhatsApp: +639380898327
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