A HUMAN rights group on Sunday urged the Supreme Court (SC) to protect environmental defenders from state forces, after two claimed to be abducted by the government’s anti-communist task force last month.
In a statement, Karapatan said the SC should grant a Writ of Amparo in favor of Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro — environmental activists tagged by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as self-proclaimed members of the New People’s Army (NPA) — because they now run the risk of being harassed and intimidated by state forces.
The Writ of Amparo is a legal remedy available to anyone whose right to life, liberty and security is violated by a public official or worker.
“We seriously hope that the Supreme Court steps in immediately to safeguard the lives, liberty and security of Jhed and Jonila,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina E. Palabay said.
First reported missing on Sept. 2, the Ms. Tamano and Ms. Castro resurfaced 10 days later in the custody of the 70th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan, which claimed they surrendered and turned their backs on the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines.
But in a subsequent press conference organized by the military, the two said they were abducted.
In filing for the Writ of Amparo, Ms. Palabay said the two “need all the protection they can get against threats and harassment” from the military, the NTF-ELCAC and the Department of National Defense (DND), which resorted to filing perjury complaints against the activists for claiming they were abducted. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
