NATIONAL democratic organization Karapatan is calling for the compassionate release from jail of 66-year-old "political prisoner" Antonio Molina who has been detained at the Puerto Princesa City Jail since late 2019. Molina, identified by authorities as New People's Army (NPA) leader Domingo "Ka Tino" Ritas, has been diagnosed with cancer in addition to numerous other existing ailments. The court recently granted his request for a five-day medical confinement.
Molina and six companions were arrested at a checkpoint in Puerto Princesa on Oct. 4, 2019. At the time of the arrest, Karapatan referred to all seven as "human rights workers" or "volunteers" without disclosing their identities except for one: Glendhyl Malabanan. She was, prior to her arrest, known as the former Karapatan Southern Tagalog secretary general. But we have seen the video of a uniform-clad Malabanan participating in a firearms drill in an NPA camp in Palawan in 2016. Four of the others arrested, including Molina/Ritas, are seen in other video clips from NPA camps. Among the seven arrested "human rights workers" was the wife of Alimar Toting, the NPA Palawan commander who surrendered a month later.
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