The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has dispatched a team to look into the case of Pauline Joy Banjawan, an urban poor organizer found in police custody after she was first reported missing for two days in Batangas.

In a statement, the CHR said its probe is in line with its mandate to investigate all reported cases of arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of liberty, including illegal arrest, detention, and abduction.

It said the reports it received stated that Banjawan was located at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Santo Tomas City station about 9 p.m. last April 27.

Before she disappeared, the CHR said that Banjawan had expressed fears that she was being followed by suspicious individuals while engaging with an urban poor community in Batangas’ third district.

It also said that when her communication with her group was abruptly cut off, concern for her wellbeing grew especially since the political party she is affiliated with has faced repeated incidents of red-tagging and harassment.

It added that it was informed that Banjawan was allegedly abducted by members of the 59th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines before being turned over to the police.

She is now facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and was reportedly subjected to physical and psychological torture.

The CHR said: "This incident manifests the grave consequences of red-tagging, which exposes an individual or a group to threats to their life, liberty, and security. Beyond personal harm, it strikes at the very core of human rights, creating a pervasive climate of fear and weakening democratic spaces."

As the May 2025 midterm elections are fast approaching, the CHR said that the country cannot afford an environment where candidates and voters fear for their political decisions simply due to baseless allegations linking them to certain movements

"This undermines every Filipino’s right to participate freely in the electoral process and the integrity of democratic institutions," it warned.