Almost six years after son's disappearance, mom tells Jonas Burgos: Hold on

"Just hold on, son." This was the message conveyed Thursday by Edita Burgos to her son Jonas, who remains missing almost six years after he was abducted by suspected military agents in Quezon City. 

 

"Kita mo naman Jonas, we have not given up. We will pursue this to the end," Mrs. Burgos said in an interview with GMA News, less than a month before the sixth anniversary of Jonas' disappearance on April 28.

 

Asked how she manages to continue searching despite many obstacles, Mrs. Burgos said she lives day to day. "You just live by God's grace, and you are thankful for everything that comes, whether it is a trial or a blessing. Lahat naman, kahit trials, blessing 'yun. Ganoon lang," said Mrs. Burgos, who has not lost hope that Jonas will be found alive. 

 

"Hangga't hindi ko nakikita ang katawan niya na wala na talaga siya, I will always choose to believe that he is alive," she said.

 

Since Jonas was abducted at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City in 2007, Mrs. Burgos has brought the case to various agencies, including Task Force Usig, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

 

"At the very start I went to all the offices that are responsible for disciplining people in uniform... I went to all of the offices and talked to the heads of these offices. Lahat naman sila nangakong tutulong kaya lang at the end, ang aming conclusion is cover-up," Burgos said on GMA News TV's News to Go also on Thursday.

 

"Yun ang nakikita namin kasi sasabihin nila tutulong, hawak na nila ang, marami silang hawak na reports, ayaw naman nilang ibigay kahit na may subpoena na from the court. So bakit? Para nga i-cover up, ayaw nilang malaman kung ano ang katotohanan. I believe that if I know the truth, then I will find Jonas," Mrs. Burgos told GMA News.

 

NBI probe

 

On Wednesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the "enforced disappearance" of Burgos, a political activist, following President Benigno Aquino III's directive to the DOJ to get to the bottom of Jonas' disappearance. 

Mrs. Burgos said that she was grateful for Aquino's help, although she wished they could find Jonas sooner. "We are thankful, siyempre, pamilya, gusto mo sana agad-agad, but I can appreciate the fact that he's very busy. Pero nanay ka, nawawala anak mo, sana mas madali. But now that he has ordered the NBI to investigate I am really thankful, I am very grateful," she said.

 

Mrs. Burgos welcomed the probe, and hoped the NBI  would be able to authenticate and verify new evidence that the family submitted to the court. "Depende sa appreciation ng court, sana nga i-share nila. Kasi it is also dangerous to hold on to these documents and something could happen to us, mawala na 'yun," she said.

 

New evidence

 

On Monday, Mrs. Burgos asked the Supreme Court to order the Court of Appeals to re-open her son's case, in light of new evidence, including an "After Apprehension Report," a "Psycho Social Processing Report," and an "Autobiography of Jonas Burgos." 

 

The documents were copies of confidential records on file with the Philippine Army, according to Mrs. Burgos, who obtained the documents from an anonymous source. Mrs. Burgos told GMA News that they received the documents a few weeks ago, from a source who indirectly contacted them. According to Mrs. Burgos, the source only wanted to help.

 

"Matagal na naming hawak 'yan kaya lang pinagaralan muna namin," she said, adding that she believed the reports were created by, but did not come from, the military.

 

She said the source may have been an answered prayer. "Baka ito ay isa sa mga pinagdadasal ko na sana isa sa mga involved ay magkaroon ng change of heart... 'yun ang talagang ipinagdadasal ko na sana kung nagkasala, or may ginawa silang mali kay Jonas at sa palagay nila tama 'yung ginawa nila kaya nga nila ginawa, sana magkaroon din sila ng pagbabago at masabi na sa amin kung na saan si Jonas," she said.

 

 

AFP, PNP held accountable

 

On March 27, the Court of Appeals held the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP accountable for Burgos' "enforced disappearance." 

 

The ruling also named Maj. Harry A. Baliaga Jr. as responsible for the disappearance. Baliaga, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 2000, was an Army first lieutenant at the time of the incident.

 

The military, who had long probed the incident, had insisted that Jonas was a victim of "internal purging" within the communist New People's Army. Mrs. Burgos said she could not confirm whether her son was indeed a member of the NPA, but that this was immaterial to the case. 

 

"Kung ano man ang sitwasyon mo, whatever circumstance you're in, mali pa rin ang enforced disappearance... Kahit ano pa man ang paniniwala mo, hindi dapat na ganun ang ginawa mo. Dapat inaresto siya at kinasuhan, he could have been put in jail and he should have been given his right to defend himself," she said.

 

Mrs. Burgos also said she was "disappointed and frustrated" by the statements from PNP chief Dir. Gen. Alan Purisima, who had called the Court of Appeals decision a "product of the imagination."

 

"I think it's a very dangerous statement coming from somebody in that kind of position. Kasi kung hindi ka naniniwala sa isang decision ng isang, Court of Appeals, who has heard this for so many years already, sabihin mo imahenasyon lang, at 'yan ang message na ibigay mo sa tao, paano marerestore ang faith ng tao sa mga institusyon sa Pilipinas kung ganun?" she said, adding that she could not expect an unbiased report from someone who held such a perspective.  

 

"It's disappointing, frustrating, and nabasa ko lang 'yan kahapon sa newspaper and he was saying that 'how can we investigate, wala namang body, wala namang case.' Eh disappearance nga, paano magkaroon ng body?" said Mrs. Burgos.  

"At first I was stunned. Siyempre hindi ako maka react kasi sa retrato lang makikita mo pinahirapan na 'yung bata. Hindi ganyan ang look ni Jonas. Dito, para siyang bewildered, para siyang dazed. At ang dami nang naglaro sa isip ko at mahirap tingnan 'yung retrato. Pero kailangan talagang kailangan siyang hanapin. So kahit mahirap, nirelease namin ito," Mrs. Burgos said on News to Go.

 

She said the new evidence brings them closer to finding Jonas. "Naniniwala kaming in our perfect time, when we are ready for the truth, God will give the truth," she said. — RSJ/BM, GMA News