The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), family and friends of Ma. Salome "Nanay Sally" Ujano, in collaboration with the World March of Women (WMW), Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT), Medical Action Group (MAG), and other women’s rights organizations, legal support groups, and media allies, convened a solidarity event titled “Gathering of Human Rights Defenders: #FreeNanaySallyUjano | Call for Protection of HRDs” at Kenny Rogers Roasters, Matalino Street, Quezon City.


The event brought together advocates from various sectors to highlight the urgent need for the immediate release of Nanay Sally and the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, a measure long overdue in protecting those working to uphold human dignity and justice in the Philippines.


The group of organizations asserts the innocence of Nanay Sally Ujano. Jean Enriquez, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) and National Coordinator of the World March of Women, recalled the context of the accusations.

“We were facilitating a survivors' group healing session together on the very days she was accused of committing rebellion. The accusations against Nanay Sally are outrageous. She has spent almost three decades directly attending to cases of violence against women and children," she stated.


Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, an alliance of human rights advocates since 1986, denounced the red-tagging that led to her arrest. Egay Cabalitan, Secretary-General of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, emphasized the broader implications of her detention.


“Nanay Sally does not belong in prison. Her continued detention is a clear injustice rooted in red-tagging used to silence human rights advocates. Her release is not just about one person, it reflects our country’s commitment to human rights and democratic principles,” Cabalitan emphasized.


Church and religious groups condemned the targeting of human rights work and stood in united support of Nanay Sally. Fr. Angel Cortez, OFM, Co-Executive Secretary of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP), speaking on behalf of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission, declared their united stand.


“We, the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP), stand in firm and prophetic solidarity with Maria Salome ‘Sally’ Ujano, a woman of deep compassion and unshakable commitment to justice,” Fr. Angel stated. “Her unjust conviction is not just a personal tragedy—it is a mirror held up to the soul of a nation wounded by repression, impunity, and the betrayal of its poorest citizens.”


Her family shared how the arrest has deeply affected them. Speaking on behalf of the Ujano family, Klaro Ujano made a direct appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.


“Our mother became one of the many victims of Duterte’s red-tagging. We urgently appeal to President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. for her immediate and unconditional release.

Emotionally, the arrest and relentless red-tagging have left us shaken. We've experienced deep fear—sometimes even hopelessness—about the current state of our justice system," Klaro Ujano appealed.


PAHRA and allied groups also urged Congress to prioritize the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill and for the President to certify it as urgent.


“Defending the defenders is defending democracy. By passing this bill, we recognize that human rights work is essential to building a just and humane society,” Cabalitan said. ###


#FreeNanaySallyUjano

#PassHRDBill