MANILA, Philippines -- The mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos told the Court of Appeals Monday that evidence pointed to the military as the kidnappers of her son and pleaded that if he had been murdered it should at least help find his body.

Appearing for the first time at a hearing on her plea for the issuance of a writ of amparo, Edita Burgos, 64, said that the license plates used by her son’s kidnappers were taken from a vehicle in the army’s custody.

She dismissed military claims that the plates had been stolen.

“To whom else should I point,” she said. “If he has been murdered, so be it, then let’s find the body.”

Assistant Solicitor General Amparo Tang, representing the Armed Forces, told the court that Burgos’ mother had publicly accused soldiers of being behind the abduction and would stop at nothing short of an admission from the military.

“I disagree. I am looking for the truth, and the truth points to them. I have evidence,” said Edita.

Burgos, 37, son of the late publisher and press freedom icon Jose “Joe” Burgos, was abducted on April 28 last year from the Ever Gotesco shopping mall in Quezon City.

His mother has asked the court to issue the writ to allow her access to military camps, documents and personnel, and to direct the police to help in her inquiry.

A writ of amparo is a remedy made available by the Supreme Court last year to those whose lives, liberty and security are threatened in the government’s counterinsurgency campaign that has led to a surge in disappearances and political killings.

Named respondents in Edita’s amparo petition were Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr. and Commission on Human Rights Chair Purificacion Quisumbing.

In her testimony, Edita said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself told her during a phone conversation that if she requested help from Esperon, her search would be faster.

But Edita said a meeting set between her lawyer and Esperon did not push through and Esperon had since denied the military had Jonas in its custody.

Esperon appearance opposed

Edita’s lawyer Ricardo Fernandez asked the Court of Appeals to subpoena Esperon, Yano and 56th Infantry Battalion Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano to testify in the next hearing.

The lawyer said the testimonies of these officers could shed light on two theories -- that Jonas was abducted by the military or that he was taken by members of the New People’s Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Tang opposed Fernandez’s request.

Fernandez also said the military had been “evasive” on Edita’s allegation that a certain 2nd Lt. Dick Abletes had been detained and awaiting court-martial for allegedly passing on information to the NPA, and that his fate could be linked to Jonas’.

Edita also said Maj. Gen. Delfin Bangit, then chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP, had assured her that he would help in the search for Jonas and that the latter was not considered an enemy of the state.

Yet a document submitted by Esperon to the Commission on Human Rights labeled Jonas as a member of the NPA who also goes by the moniker “Ka Ramon,” she added.

Neutralized

Another Burgos lawyer, Roberto Lara, noted that Edita had obtained a document purporting to show that 1st Lt. Jaime Mendaros Jr. had recommended the deletion of Jonas’ name from a list. The document showed that Jonas was also known as “Ramon, Raymond or Simon,” and that beside his name was the term “neutralized.”

Tang asked Edita whether she knew that the police had referred to the Department of Justice the affidavits of three alleged NPA members who said Jonas was abducted by the group.

One of the alleged NPA members supposedly said a Delfin de Guzman had ordered Jonas’ abduction, but Edita said De Guzman had been arrested in 2006.