Pangasinan. INQUIRER FILES
DAGUPAN CITY — The two environmental activists, who were reportedly abducted on March 24, were confirmed to have surfaced, but the police said their families refused requests for talks with the victims as the two men were“still exhausted and under the stage of trauma.”
Francisco “Eco” Dangla III of Lingayen and Joelle “Jak” Tiong sought refuge at the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese on Wednesday, but it was not clear if the two were released by their captors or were able to escape from their abductors.
“We do not know [what happened] because they don’t want to cooperate. In spite of that, the [police] will still continue our investigation to ferret out the truth about the reported incident,” Colonel Jeff Fanged, Pangasinan provincial police director, said in a message to the Inquirer.
A police report sent by Fanged said Dangla was still in the custody of the church, while Tiong was already with his family.
READ: 2 environmentalists allegedly abducted in Pangasinan
Fanged said around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27, the police of San Carlos City, where the two were abducted, received a call from a lawyer saying that Dangla and Tiong were at the St. John Cathedral Church in Dagupan City.
The San Carlos City police immediately went to the church to talk about the circumstances surrounding the men’s disappearance, but their families denied the request.
A sister of Dangla just asked the police to put on record that the two victims were “both in good physical and mental condition.”
In a statement, the progressive Bayan Gitnang Luzon said they were relieved that after three days of persistent and tireless efforts and searches in camps, Dangla and Tiong were no longer in the hands of their abductors.
The group described the two as “bruised but alive.”
Bayan said while the two were “still reeling from their harrowing ordeal, we hope that in due time, Eco and Jak would be able to fully recount the details of their abduction and subsequent release. Their captors should desist from any attempts to further harass them.”
“We are one with them in their demand for justice. Those responsible for their abduction and tortuous ordeal must be held accountable,” it added.
The statement was signed by Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, and representatives of human rights groups. INQ