DAVAO CITY – Six police officers are facing cases in the City of Mati, Davao Oriental over the detention of a woman during a confrontation against mining operations last year.

The arbitrary detention and unlawful arrest cases – copies of which were obtained by the Manila Bulletin – were filed by Claridel Cellona-Lincoln, a resident of Barangay Macambol in the City of Mati, before the city prosecutor’s office after lawmen allegedly detained her from June 28, 2025 to July 3, 2025 after the incident.

Charged were then Davao Oriental Provincial Police Office chief Police Col. Julius Silagan, then Mati City Police Station chief Police Major Anthony Gumban, Police Major Cirelo Solana, Police Master Sgt. May Ponce, Police Master Sgt. Aiza Cablinda, and Police Corporal Katrina Jayson.

Lincoln recounted in her affidavit that Barangay Macambol Chairman Cireno Salazar and fellow barangay officials arrived at the barricade site within her property in Purok Casinihan.

Salazar was accompanied by Silagan, who brought about 100 armed police officers, including some members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), according to Lincoln.

“We regulated the passage of heavy vehicles on our private road. But more or less 100 policemen swooped down on our property without warrant and dismantled our bamboo pole and forcefully entered my house by the street and unlawfully arrested me and my companions Bryan Codilla and Donars Narisma,” Lincoln said in her affidavit filed on April 21.

Lincoln, along with local fisherfolk, barricaded a portion of the road leading to the nickel mining site of Hallmark Mining Corp. in Barangay Macambol on June 26, 2025.

She, along with members of the Davao Oriental Pujada Landscape Eco-Tourism Association, Farmer, Fisherfolks, Family, and Friends (Dapubleta F4), were protesting the alleged inaction of the mining company on their request to address damages to their livelihood allegedly due to landslide from the mine site.

They justified the barricade by prohibiting vehicles owned by the mining firm from entering.

Police confronted the protesters and insisted that the road should be cleared following an order from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Silagan said that he was ordered by then Philippine National Police chief Police Gen. Nicolas Torre III to implement the clearing operation.

But protesters insisted that police do not have any warrant or court order to implement road clearing operations in a private property.

As residents refused to dismantle the barricade, police told residents to challenge their action before the court.

Police and barangay peacekeepers dismantled the barricade and forcibly took Lincoln and her colleagues.

Videos of the confrontation circulated in social media last year, including police officers entering the house and kicking a door inside a house after Lincoln locked herself inside the room.

Glocelito Jayma, counsel of Cellona and protesters, said police filed cases against Lincoln and her colleagues but were eventually dismissed by a local court in October last year.

"It took us few months to formally charge the police because we waited for the disobedience case filed by the police to be dismissed," Jayma said.

The cases were dismissed after barangay officials and the police failed to show proof that the dirt road was part of the provincial road network or donated to the government for public use.

Thus, the arrest and detention were unlawful since the landowner has the right over the land where the road is located, Jayma said.

Jayma added that his client did not commit any crime. The lawyer also disclosed that they have lodged an administrative complaint before the National Police Commission and are awaiting an update from the agency.

“There is no legal basis to the arrest conducted by the police on such day because I have done nothing illegal and I committed no crime,” Lincoln stated in her affidavit. “I can say that because of what we have done in setting up a boom or bamboo pole gate in our private road inside our private land at Purok Casanihan.”

Police Regional Office-11 spokesperson police Major Catherine dela Rey was asked for a statement on April 23 on the case but she has yet to respond.