Press Statement

Hands Off Bicol People’s Lawyer Atty. Bart Rayco!

At approximately 6:00 a.m. today, staff at Jollikod, a local eatery in Legazpi City owned by the family of Atty. Bartolome “Bart” Rayco, discovered two bullets ominously left at the entrance. The bullets were bound with black ribbons, one tethered to a piece of stone wrapped in paper and plastic. The paper contained a threatening message that read: “Atty. Bart Rayco MALAPIT KA NA!!” (Atty. Bart Rayco, your end is near!!!). Earlier, witnesses reported seeing unidentified men on a motorcycle stop outside the premises at around 4:00 a.m.

| Aug 28, 2026

Aug 2026 28

Pahayag ng mga PDL sa Correctional Institution for Women ukol sa kanilang nadispalkong pera sa loob ng Trust Fund at cashless system

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Sa halip na tugunan ang panawagan ng mga PDL na ibalik ang nawawalang pera at buwagin ang Trust Fund, mas hinigpitan pa ang mga PDL na mag-withdraw ng kanilang pera na naka-deposito sa system. Noong nakaraang linggo, isang beses lamang nagpa-withdraw sa Trust Fund. Kahapon, Agosto 27, napilitang magpa-withdraw ang mga empleyado matapos magtipon-tipon sa inner court ang mga PDL.

Aug 2026 27

Students Do Not Leave Their Rights At the School Gate

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Fundamental freedoms are especially vital within educational institutions because education is not simply the transmission of knowledge; it is the formation of citizens capable of questioning authority, confronting injustice, and shaping democratic society.

Aug 2026 4

Selective Justice: Bail for Revilla, Continued Detention for Cumpio and Domequil

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The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemns the brazen double standard of a justice system that affords maximum leniency to the political elite while operating with merciless rigidity against human rights defenders. This glaring hypocrisy is freshly exposed by the provisional liberty granted to former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., contrasted against the protracted detention of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights worker Marielle Domequil.

Jul 2026 20

Stop the Persecution of Nueva Vizcaya’s People’s Lawyers

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The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) vehemently condemns the escalating, systematic harassment leveled against its members in Nueva Vizcaya—Atty. Fidel Santos and Atty. Edgardo “Edu” Balgos—who have steadfastly stood with marginalized communities defending...

Jul 2026 12

On the Weaponization of Red-Tagging and the Systematic Assault on the Legal Profession

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A serial red-tagger and former spokesperson of the NTF-ELCAC has once again weaponized her platform to baselessly vilify the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL). She recycled the unfounded claim that our organization is a “CPP-NPA-NDF front” and mocked us as the “National Union of Patakas Lawyers,” accusing us of making a habit of freeing so-called “communist terrorists” before the courts. We categorically condemn this dangerous assault on people's lawyers.