Army: No reason to relieve commander after abduction claim of 2 activists

CHUCKING THE SCRIPT Environmental activists Jonila Castro
and Jhed Tamano accuse the military of kidnapping them, in a press
conference by the National Task Force to End Local Communist
Armed Conflict which the task force had to scrap. —SCREENGRAB FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE TO END LOCAL COMMUNIST ARMED CONFLICT (NTF-ELCAC)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Army sees no reason to relieve the battalion commander whose officers are accused of abducting two environment activists, its spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said on Wednesday.

Trinidad said the Army backs the account of Lieutenant Colonel Ronnel dela Cruz, Commanding Officer of the 70th Infantry Battalion, during the press conference of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Tuesday.

During the same media briefing, the NTF-Elcac also presented activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, who then revealed that they were abducted by soldiers in Orion, Bataan, on September 2, contrary to the claims of the anti-communist task force.

READ: ‘We felt betrayed, hoodwinked,’ NTF-Elcac says after 2 activists’ bombshell revelation

“We have seen from the reports that all they did was follow the process; we did not see anything wrong so far,” Trinidad told reporters in a phone interview, partly in Filipino.

“I think there is no reason for the relief, but we will be inquiring further on the details.”

Trinidad said the Army found no violations committed by the soldiers so far.

“The Philippine Army will always stand by the reports that we’re given to us by the units on the ground. These commanders are being placed to handle the area because they are very confident in this matter,” Trinidad said.

“On the part of the PA, we did not see any violations by the battalion, but we will have to get to the bottom of this and inquire on the specific details,” he added.

Tamano and Castro reportedly surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 70th Infantry Battalion in Doña Remedios Trinidad town on September 12, which both activists disputed.

Both of them signed an affidavit, which they insisted was done in duress.

READ: PH is most unsafe country for environmentalists in Asia – report

Tamano, 22, works as coordinator of the Church-Community Partnership for the program “Turn the Tide Now,” while Castro, 21, serves as a community volunteer for AKAP Ka Manila Bay, a group opposing reclamation projects on Manila Bay.

JPV