Cadiz City – Gaspar Davao is an organizer of National Federation of Sugar Workers in the northern part of Negros Occidental, wherein since the Memorandum Order 32 was placed in the island, the sugar and peasant workers have been harassed, red-tagged and even killed.
June 9, 2020 around 7pm at a checkpoint in Brgy. Caduhaan, Cadiz City, the vehicle where Davao was on board, was apprehended by the Philippine National Police Cadiz City in a checkpoint as part of the COVID-19 monitoring in between cities.


June 10, 2020 around 6:17pm, he was inquested for violation of RA 9516 and violation of section 3 of City Ordinance number 05-2020 series of 2020 entitled Mandatory Wearing of Facemask, violation of Provincial Executive Order No. 20-22 series of 2020 of Art 151 of Revised Penal Code Resistance and Disobedience to a Person in Authority.


Davao was said to be in possession of a handgrenade and attempted to throw it at the officers prompting the police to arrest him at that time. However, Davao stated during his interview that he even showed the police what’s inside his bag at the checkpoint. It was only at the police station when the police got their hand on Davao’s bag, because he has to undergo medical test. Davao then came to know that they allegedly planted explosives to justify his arrest and tagging him as one of the high-ranking official of the armed group.


Davao is still detained at Cadiz PNP. He was denied of any visitors, he was not allowed to consult any legal counsel nor even talk to his son after his arrest, leaving him no choice but to avail a preliminary investigation. It was only after the inquest when he was able to receive visitors.


Here’s Davao’s full account of the incident.