On March 4, 2021, labor activists Arnedo Lagunias of Alyansa ng Manggagawa sa Engklabo (AMEN) and Ramir Corcolon of Water System Employees Response (WATER) were both arrested on illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Lagunias was also the Secretary of the Honda Workers Union (Lakas Manggagawang Nagkakaisa sa Honda-OLALIA-KMU), leading workers’ protest in 2019 when Honda Philippines suddenly announced the closure of its main plant in Laguna and hundreds of dismissals. Lagunias had reported threats and harassment by elements of the Regional Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict, and he filed his complaint among other union officers at the Commission on Human Rights in November 2020. Local groups allege that the arrests are part of the increasing weaponization of court warrants and crackdown against human rights defenders in the Philippines.