05/12/2026
Today marks 2 months since the unlawful arrest of health workers Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza (โDoc Anaโ), Marc Mendiola, and others detained in a March 11 joint military-police operation in the Philippines involving physical assault, warrantless arrest, red-tagging, the planting of evidence, and more.
They face a host of fabricated, unbailable, and trumped-up false charges. CPSHR joins the international call for the immediate release of Doc Ana, Marc, and the Cordillera 8!
Doc Ana is a community doctor who was providing health care for underserved communities in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. Her patients included indigenous peoples, rural poor communities, and those in disaster-stricken and militarized areas affected most heavily by climate change. She immersed in the communities she served by participating in farming activities, learning local ways, and studying their economic realities.
Marc Mendiola is a community health worker, journalist, and human rights advocate committed to exposing injustice and uplifting oppressed voices. He provided psychological first aid to the community and organized health workers in hospitals in the Cordillera region.
The detention of Doc Ana and Marc is an attack on all health workers and their right to serve the people without fear or persecution. Last week, health workers across the Philippines rallied for the defense and release of the Cordillera 8 on National Health Workersโ Day.
The Free Doc Ana & Marc Campaign calls for financial, material, and moral support for the detainees and their families. CPSHR joins this growing chorus of voices from health groups, concerned human rights advocates and the international community in calling for the immediate release of Doc Ana and Marc.
Allies may learn more and sign the petition of support at:
https://tinyurl.com/FreeDocAnaAndMarc
Free Doc Ana & Marc!
Free the Cordillera 8!
Drop all trumped-up charges!
Hands off health workers!
Free all political prisoners!
