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'Pagtatabihin namin kayo sa isang hukay': Environmental activists bare ordeal with supposed captors

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Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano arrive at the Commission on Human Rights headquarters in Quezon City on September 19, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/20/20230919-castro-taman-chr-turnover-mt-1.jpg"/><figcaption>Environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano arrive at the Commission on Human Rights headquarters in Quezon City on September 19, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/file</figcaption></figure></div>Environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro disclosed their 18-day ordeal after they were supposedly abducted by the military in a counter-affidavit they submitted before the Department of Justice.The two are facing perjury charges filed by the Department of National Defense.In the joint counter-affidavit ex abundante cautelam, wherein the two activists also questioned the impartiality of the DOJ panel conducting the preliminary investigation, Jhed and Jonila narrated the events that transpired from September 2 when they were supposedly abducted up to September 19 when they resurfaced in a press conference organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Bulacan.Jhed and Jonila said they left the United Methodist Mission Church in Orion, Bataan at around 7:00 p.m. on September 2 they were grabbed by men wearing ski masks and loose shirts and dragged into an SUV.The two said they were in the area as AKAP Ka Manila Bay volunteers to coordinate with communities affected by the Manila Bay reclamation projects.The two claimed grave and serious threats to their lives were made during their interrogation with their abductors.“These consisted of statements such as &#x27;pagtatabihin namin kayo sa isang hukay,&#x27; &#x27;puputulin namin ang dila mo (Jhed) kapag hindi pa rin kayo nagsalita,&#x27; &#x27;ikukulong namin kayo sa kasong rebellion,&#x27; and &#x27;hindi ako takot mamatay dahil hindi rin ako takot pumatay,&#x27; the two said in their joint counter-affidavit.The two said they were brought to undisclosed locations but at one point, their captors referred to a place as a “motel.”The two were interrogated separately but on September 4, they were allowed to see each other.“After seeing Jhed, Jonila distinctly remembers seeing the words &#x27;70th Infantry Battalion, Matatag at Matapat&#x27; written at the bottom part of an opened page on one of the laptops used by one of the abductors,” the two said in the counter-affidavit.Jhed and Jonila also said they were forced to surrender as “rebels” from September 5 to 11.The two also claimed in their counter-affidavit that they were asked to write a narrative that contained stories supplied by their captors.On September 12, the two were supposedly brought to the camp of the 70th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan where they were introduced to a person identified as the mayor of Angat town.The two also said that on that day, they were pressed by the NTF-ELCAC to hold a press conference.On the same day, the two also said on their way to meet the mayor, they recognized one of their abductors and came across him inside the 70th IB camp.The two also admitted meeting a Public Attorney’s Office lawyer, Atty. Joefer Baggay and that they spent time with Jhed’s parents in a conference room after the lawyer left.Jhed and Jonila also claimed they met a certain Emjay Chico who introduced himself as a member of the communications team of the NTF-ELCAC. “He was convincing us to do a press conference to silence the groups which he said were looking for us,” the two said.Jhed and Jonila also said they met a representative of the Commission on Human Rights.“Whenever the CHR asked if we voluntarily surrendered, we would not answer definitely,” the two said.On September 19, Jhed and Jonila said they “finally told the truth” about their abduction during the NTF-ELCAC press con.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/19/23/surrendered-activists-say-they-were-abducted">&#x27;Surrendered&#x27; activists say they were abducted, reject coerced affidavits</a></li></ul>The Armed Forces of the Philippines strongly denied the claims of the two after the press conference and perjury charges were later filed by the DND before the DOJ.<div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2809864" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Jhed and Jonila narrated the events that transpired from September 2 when they were supposedly abducted up to September 19 when they resurfaced in a press conference organized by the NTF-ELCAC.

'Pagtatabihin namin kayo sa isang hukay': Environmental activists bare ordeal with supposed captors

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'Pagtatabihin namin kayo sa isang hukay': Environmental activists bare ordeal with supposed captors

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 07, 2023 08:42 PM PHT

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DOJ

Department of Justice

Jhed Tamano

Jonila Castro

abduction

AFP

Armed Forces of the Philippines

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