MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday started its preliminary investigation on the perjury complaint that the Department of National Defense (DND) field against environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, who claim they were abducted by the military.

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Tamano and Castro were the AKAP Ka Manila Bay activists who went missing in Bataan on September 2 and later on re-surfaced during the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) press conference, where they claimed they were abducted.

In response, the DND filed perjury charges against Tamano and Castro before the DOJ, whose secretary previously said the recantation of their affidavits was part of a "playbook" of communist rebels.

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Various human rights and environmental activists held a protest rally outside the DOJ as the preliminary investigation was being held.

“Yung sinasabi po ng NTF-ELCAC na binaliktad daw po sila nila Jhed and Jonila noon, pinabubulaanan po natin," said Agham UP Manila chairperson Mela Llamado.

"Kasi wala pong iba pang mas credible na statement doon sa statement na nilabas po nila Jhed at Jonila dahil sinabi nila yon kahit po sila ay humaharap sa mga threats sa kanilang buhay," she also said.

The protesters stressed their fight against reclamation efforts in Manila Bay, as they called for the recall of the supposedly trumped up charges against Castro and Tamano, which they say only aims to intimidate activists.

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