2 'missing' environment activists may face perjury charges —NSC exec

The two environmental activists who were earlier reported missing may face perjury charges after they retracted what they said in an affidavit, an official of the National Security Council (NSC) said Wednesday.

"If it is proven that they executed this falsely, knowing that what they were saying is incorrect, they can be open to perjury charges," NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said in an interview on ANC.

Jhed Tamano, 22, and Jonila Castro, 21, were presented in a press conference of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to debunk the claims of abductions.

However, the two said that they were indeed abducted, contradicting the earlier report of the task force that they surrendered to the military.

Malaya said the NTF-ELCAC, which is composed of different government agencies, was betrayed and hoodwinked.

"Noong nandoon na sa tapat ng camera, nag-iba na iyong sinabi (When they faced the camera, they changed their statement.)

“Kami (for us), our position is the same. They executed affidavits which were [signed] in front of the mayor, Angat Mayor Reynante Bautista, Colonel Ronel dela Cruz and PAO lawyer…” he added.

According to the two activists, the content of their affidavit was false. They said it was done and signed inside a military camp and that they could not do anything during that time.

“Ang tanong na dinukot ba kami o kusa kaming nag-surrender. Ang totoo po ay dinukot kami ng mga militar sakay ng van,” Castro said.

(On the question if we were abducted or we surrendered, the truth is we were abducted by military personnel onboard a van.)

Castro said the military threatened them to force them to surrender.

“Napilitan din kami na sumurrender dahil pinagbantaan ang buhay namin. Iyon po ang totoo. Hindi rin namin ginusto na mapunta kami sa kustodiya ng militar. Hindi rin totoo iyong laman ng affidavit dahil ginawa, pinirmahan iyon sa loob ng kampo ng militar. Wala na kaming magagawa sa pagkakataon na iyon,” she said.

(We were forced to surrender because they threatened our lives. That’s the truth. We also do not want to be in military custody. The content of the affidavit is not true because it was done and signed inside the military camp. We cannot do anything during that time.)

Tamano said she and Castro were walking on the street on the night of September 2 when an SUV stopped in front of them. She said they were forced to get inside the vehicle.

“Noong gabi po ng September 2, naglalakad lang po kami sa kalsada nang meron pong dumukot sa amin. May tumigil na SUV sa harap namin tapos dinukot po kami. Tapos pinilit kaming pasamahin sa kanila. Iyon po ang totoo. Akala po namin sindikato pero kilala po kami,” she said.

(On the night of September 2, we were just walking on the street when we were abducted. An SUV stopped in front of us and took us. We were forced to join them. That’s the truth. We thought they were members of a criminal syndicate but they knew us.)

According to the NTF-ELCAC, the two are linked to the rebel group New People’s Army (NPA).

Lieutenant  Colonel Ronnel dela Cruz, commanding officer of the 70IB, meanwhile, maintained that Castro and Tamano had surrendered to authorities.

“Kami po hindi po namin alam iyong sinasabi na po na iyon na event nila. Ang naging ano po ng 70IB roon ay ang pagre-rescue po natin na na-report po sa amin,” he said in the same press conference.

Dela Cruz said the 70IB just wanted to help the two process their surrender.

“Ang pinanghahawakan po natin kasi pumirima po sila ng kustodiya po. Pumirma po sila ng papel. Ang tingin po namin pala ay ito ay pagtulong na amin silang tutulungan sa kanilang pag-surrender, so kaya inaayos namin ang proseso,” he added.

(We are standing by on the paper they signed for custody. We saw it as our help for them to surrender, so we were conducting the appropriate process.)

While standing by the report of the military, NTF-ELCAC director Alexander Umpar said the task force is ensuring that the government would continue to give assistance to Castro and Tamano.

“My thoughts on this kailangan pa rin natin tulungan iyong ating dalawang nagbalik-loob sa atin sa gobyerno,” Umpar said.

(I think we should still help these two people who returned to the fold of the government.)

A group calling itself Environmental Defenders Congress (EDC) is demanding the "immediate and unconditional release" of Tamano and Castro after they admitted that they were abducted by the military.

"This admission, made even under duress and undeniable coercion, exposed the undeniable truth that Jhed and Jonila were taken by state agents and targeted for their environmental defense — as we have suspected since the day they went missing," the group said in a statement.

The NTF-ELCAC has turned over the activists to the Commission on Human Rights following the press conference in Plaridel, Bulacan. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News