2 missing activists not under AFP custody – spokesman
Published Jul 16, 2023 08:33 am
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied reports on Sunday, July 16, that the two missing indigenous people (IP) rights activists and community organizers who were allegedly tagged as communist rebels are under their custody.
*AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar (File)
* Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said the military has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamil De Jesus although he admitted that the organization has yet to respond to the writ of habeas corpus issued by the Court of Appeals (CA) to them last week to present before the court the two missing activists. “Wala sa custody ng military although we have yet to respond to the writ of habeas corpus ng korte. But we don’t have in our possession ‘yung hinahanap na dalawa (They are not under the custody of the military although we have yet to respond to the writ of habeas corpus issued by the court. But we don’t have in our possession the two missing persons),” Aguilar said. The CA issued a resolution dated July 10 to the AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP) to surface Capuyan, 27, and De Jesus, 56, after their families filed a petition against AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., and top police officials from the PNP Rizal and CIDG for their disappearance. Accordingly, Capuyan and De Jesus went missing on the night of April 28 when unidentified armed men, who allegedly introduced themselves as personnel of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), abducted them around 9 p.m. in Taytay, Rizal. They have never been seen since then. In a statement last May 2, the Cordillera People’s Alliance, a “progressive people’s organization” among indigenous communities in the Cordillera Administrative Region, claimed that the military and police have accused Capuyan and De Jesus of being communist group members and leaders prior to their disappearance. Capuyan, the alliance said, was tagged by the state forces as a leader of the Chadli Molintas Command, the New People’s Army (NPA) command operating in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions. The alliance said Capuyan is a Bontoc-Ibaloi-Kankanaey and is from La Trinidad, Benguet while De Jesus hails from Bulacan. Capuyan allegedly went to Rizal “to seek medical attention.” Aguilar confirmed they have received intelligence information that Capuyan was included in a “list” of individuals being monitored by the military due to alleged involvement with the NPA. “We have to verify first the information about the status of the two although I think one of them is included in the list and if that is true, it appears that he has a warrant, then the proper way is to turn him over to the court,” he stated. The official did not elaborate on the reported warrant of Capuyan. Nonetheless, Aguilar said the military will help the families of Capuyan and De Jesus to locate the missing activists and prove that they have nothing to do with their disappearance. “Since they are Filipinos and they are reported to be missing, then it is our constitutional duty to look for them, to protect them as well,” the military spokesperson noted. “We will do our best to help locate the two missing persons,” he added.