German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel urged authorities to “fully investigate” the abduction of two Cebu-based activists, who resurfaced a week after they were taken on Jan. 10.
The envoy expressed her “solidarity” with Dyan Gumanao, 28, and Arnold Dayoha, 27, who were brought to and left in Carmen town in northern Cebu on Monday morning, Jan. 16.
Carmen is about 42 kilometers north of Pier 6 Cebu City, from where they were taken after they arrived on board an inter-island vessel from Cagayan de Oro City on Jan. 10.
“Let me express solidarity with Dyan Gumanao and Arnold Dayoha who were abducted for several days before resurfacing on Jan. 16,” she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
“Authorities need to fully investigate this case. Attacks on development workers must stop!,” she said in a post, accompanied with hashtags #germanyinphl, #defendthedefenders, and #HumanRights.
Gumanao and Dayoha, who planned to wed this year, are both graduates and lecturers at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu. Gumanao is the coordinator of the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP) in Cebu.
READ: Police to probe alleged abduction of two labor rights advocates in Central Visayas
They were allegedly abducted by state forces in broad daylight as security officers and bystanders looked on.
A video taken by a concerned citizen of the incident was posted on Facebook where Gumanao and Dayoha were seen being forced by unknown men into a white van.
A woman’s voice was heard shouting “help them!” in the video, but none went to their rescue.
The video had so far been viewed 162,000 times and shared 3,100 times. There were 3,900 reactions and 536 comments as of posting.
The couple were reported missing by their parents on Jan. 13, three days after they could not be contacted upon arriving on Jan. 10.