Anakbayan believes gov’t forces behind abduction of 2 activists in Bataan; AFP, NTF-ELCAC, PNP belie claim

Progressive youth organization Anakbayan on Wednesday called for the immediate surfacing of the two missing fisherfolk organizers in Orion, Bataan whose abduction was allegedly staged by government forces.

In a press conference held at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Anakbayan national spokesperson Kate Almenzo claimed that the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) were behind the abduction of Jhed Tamano, 22, and Jonila Castro, 21, on September 2.

Tamano and Castro, volunteers of “Akap Ka Manila Bay,” were assessing the conditions of the people living in the coastal towns of North Manila Bay who were affected by the reclamation projects.

“Bago mawala si Jonila at si Jhed, sunod sunod ang naging report nila hinggil sa paniniktik sa kanila, pagsunod ng mga hindi kilalang mga armadong tao sa kung saan sila pumupunta, lalo na nung nagkaroon sila ng mga pagpunta sa Bataan para sa pagsasaayos ng relief operations sa mga mangingisda natin doon,” Almenzo said.

(Before Jonila and Jhed disappeared, they had reports about unidentified armed men who were spying on them and following them wherever they went, especially when they had trips to Bataan to organize relief operations for our fishermen there.)

“‘Yun ang naging batayan natin kung bakit naniniwala tayo na mga pulis at militar ang nasa likod ng pagkuha sa kanila kasi sila din ang parehong mga tao na nagkakaron ng banta sa buhay ng dalawa bago sila mawala,” she added.

(That is our basis why we believe that the police and the military were behind their abduction because they were the same people who threatened the lives of the two before they went missing.)

Sought for comment, AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar dismissed the allegation as "baseless and malicious" propaganda.

"We would rather work with fair minded  people than engage ourselves in useless verbal tussle against a group whose objective is not to seek justice but to destroy our image," Aguilar said in a message to GMA News Online.

In a statement, National Security Council Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya said the alleged abduction being blamed on the NTF-ELCAC was "without any shred of evidence whatsoever."

"We challenge Anakbayan to come up with any evidence or proof of wrong-doing by the NTF ELCAC and submit the same to the Department of Justice for preliminary investigation. If they have none, then they should let the PNP CIDG conduct its investigation rather than pointing fingers at the NTF ELCAC with complete disregard for the truth," he said.

Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., NTF ELCAC National Secretariat executive director, expressed deep concern with the reported abduction of Castro and Tamano,  but said that the allegation against the military and government are "completely unfounded and malicious."

"We uphold the highest standards of human rights, accountability, and transparency in all our operations and activities. We reject any attempt of the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) to tarnish our reputation and credibility with false and fabricated claims," he said,

Torres said the NTF-ELCAC urges the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident, and to ensure the safety and well-being of the victims and their families."

PNP, on the other hand, denied the allegation that they were behind the abduction of the two environmentalists.

PNP chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. has also ordered an investigation into the matter.

“We are doing our best to get to know what is the status of these missing kabataan [young people],” he said.

“We have possibilities or choice, but I don’t want to speculate. Siguro, hintayin na lang ano ang lalabas na resulta ng pag-iimbestiga ng ating PNP (Let’s wait for the result of PNP’s investigation),” he added.

Orion Police chief Police Captain Silvestre Colanza also asked those who have any information about the missing activists to coordinate with the police.

“Pakiusap po sana namin, hindi ito ang oras para magbatuhan po tayo ng sisi. Tulungan po tayo rito para ma-locate natin, mahanap ang dalawang bata at masiguro na sila ay secure,” Colanza said.

(This is not the time to throw blame at us. Please help us here so we can locate and find the two children and make sure they are secure.)

According to Almenzo, Tamano and Castro, former members of Anakbayan in Bulacan State University, were allegedly violently forced by four unidentified armed men inside a gray SUV.

Only their footwears found in front of the Orion Water District were left in the area.

“Hanggang ngayon wala pang balita kung nasaan sila o kung anong nangyayari sa kanila,” Almenzo said.

(Until now, there is no news of their whereabouts or what is happening to them.)

The youth group thus called for the abolishment of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, as well as the removal of confidential funds proposed by certain government agencies under the 2024 national budget.

Anakbayan said the confidential funds were being used to red-tag and subject student leaders to surveillance.—AOL, GMA Integrated News