Philippine Activists Reveal Kidnapping Ordeal, Challenge State Narratives

Philippine Activists Reveal Kidnapping Ordeal, Challenge State Narratives

Activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamayo Reveal Abduction by Military

Philippine environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamayo, who went missing earlier this month, have been handed over to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). They confirmed that they were abducted and held captive by the military, contradicting state narratives. Their revelation has stoked the ongoing debate about state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses in the Southeast Asian nation.

Abduction Survivor Dyan Gumanao Empathizes

Abduction survivor Dyan Gumanao, currently in Geneva for the Philippine Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Watch at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), expressed empathy with Castro and Tamayo. She recalled her own harrowing experience of abduction and captivity, expressing fear that she and her partner, both development workers, would be killed and falsely labeled as rebels.

Pressure from Human Rights Groups and Public

Gumanao credits her release to a campaign led by human rights groups and officials from the University of the Philippines in Cebu. Similarly, groups staged protests demanding the immediate release of Castro and Tamayo during a press conference organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Activists and the public accused the military, NTF-ELCAC, and the state of using abduction as a tactic to instill fear and suppress the rising movement against governmental crisis, corruption, and indifference towards the people’s struggles.

Call for Investigation into Increasing Cases of Abductions

Gumanao praised the courage of Castro and Tamayo in revealing the truth about their abduction. She called on the CHR and other domestic and international bodies to investigate the increasing cases of abductions and enforced disappearances in the Philippines. Moreover, she urged these bodies to closely monitor and report on human rights violations in the country.

Contradicting Narratives: Abduction or Voluntary Surrender?

Reports about the activists’ abduction first emerged when activist groups stated they were forcibly taken into SUVs while working on relief operations. The National Security Council (NSC) initially claimed that the two had voluntarily surrendered to the military, a claim later refuted by Castro and Tamayo. The contradictory narratives have further fueled public mistrust towards the state and military, exacerbating tension in the nation grappling with numerous human rights issues.