Dangla said that while the issuance may be a glimpse of victory, he continues to assert that the fight does not stop by getting the legal remedies. “Although I am pleased with the order I believe that many of those who filed for a writ of amparo have either had their cases dismissed or have even been charged with trumped-up charges like Jhed and Jonila.”
“Its claim of insufficient evidence to support the allegations of state-sponsored abduction contradicts the broader documented pattern of state attacks against environmental defenders.”
Environmental group Kalikasan filed a complaint to United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environment Defenders Michel Forst which stemmed from the consecutive attacks against Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.
To recall, the two activists, Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, both in their early 20s, were kidnapped and held in secret custody for 17 days in September last year. Presented at a press conference purportedly to announce that they had surrendered, the two instead accused the military of abducting them. Taken by surprise, the authorities were shocked into releasing them pronto.
In a joint statement, Castro and Tamano emphasized that the Office of the Solicitor General appealed the decision of the Supreme Court to grant them the legal remedies.
“Prosecutor Arnold Magpantay dismissed that we were abducted by the military, that we were taken to safehouses, and was subjected to psychological torture to force us to ride the story coined by the agents of the NTF-ELCAC.”
Despite the filing of a perjury case against Jhed and Jonila, they continue standing with the poor whose lives would be put in peril with the reclamation of Manila Bay.
Effects of reclamation projects to the communities are what Jonila and Jhed were looking into in Bataan. But because of their abduction, not only was their research cut short, the results of their investigations disappeared after their equipment and gadgets were confiscated by the military.
“Jonila and Jhed deserve their complete liberty from any form of harassment and intimidation, for them to continue their advocacy work in the coastal communities.”
The Gospel reading for today presents a powerful message of the “rejected stone becoming the cornerstone.” This message resonates deeply with the struggle for human rights in the Philippines, as it highlights the rejection of marginalized and oppressed individuals and groups, who, like the stone, are striving to claim their rightful place in society.
Asked about their plans aside from pursuing legal cases against their abductors, Jonila said their only plan is to continue organizing and be with the masses of the coastal area of Orion, Bataan. “Hopefully we can go back there soon.”