The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) expressed satisfaction on Sunday over the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision to throw out both criminal and administrative complaints against government, military, and police authorities linked to the alleged 2023 kidnapping of two environmental advocates.
According to NTF-ELCAC, the Ombudsman’s ruling aligns with a 2024 Court of Appeals decision that similarly turned down petitions for writs of amparo and habeas data owing to an absence of substantial evidence.
The original complaint was submitted by environmental campaigners Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, members of the Alyansa para sa Pagtatanggol sa Kabuhayan, Paninirahan at Kalikasan ng Manila Bay, who alleged that state agents seized them in September 2023.
“The Ombudsman ruled that Tamano and Castro failed to present the required evidence to prove their claims of arbitrary detention, grave coercion, and related violations,” NTF-ELCAC said.
The anti-insurgency body emphasized that the rulings from both the Ombudsman and the appellate court “reaffirm a core principle.”
“Serious charges against public servants must be proven by solid evidence in court, not by public propaganda, political theater, or manufactured narratives,” the task force added.
Furthermore, NTF-ELCAC highlighted that the activists’ abduction allegations were undermined by their own executed affidavits, in which they stated they had voluntarily yielded to military personnel.
During a press briefing organized by NTF-ELCAC in Bulacan on September 19, 2023, Castro and Tamano were expected to publicly affirm their voluntary surrender and counter claims made by outside organizations. However, the duo unexpectedly declared during the live event that military forces had kidnapped them and coerced them under threat into signing surrender documents.
Reaffirming its position, NTF-ELCAC pledged that it will continue to “defend state forces who faithfully execute their duties within the bounds of the law.”
“We urge the public to remain vigilant against deceptive tactics designed to paint legitimate government peace and security operations as human rights violations,” it added.