Members of indigenous groups and families of missing activists Dexter Capuyan and Gene “Bazoo” de Jesus picket outside the Court of Appeals in Manila. (INQUIRER file photo / RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — The families of missing activists Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” de Jesus and Dexter Capuyan filed petitions for writ of amparo and habeas data before the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.
The SC defines writ of amparo as “a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.”
On the other hand, habeas data is a constitutional right that provides citizens the right to access personal information collected by the government or a private entity, and to challenge or correct the data.
READ: Families of missing activists file petition for habeas corpus
Previous reports revealed that De Jesus was an information officer of the Philippine Task Force on Indigenous Peoples Rights, while Capuyan was a former activist alleged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to be a leader of the New People’s Army.
Both were allegedly illegally taken by some uniformed personnel.
The families’ move came after the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the writ of habeas corpus they filed last year.
A writ of habeas corpus is a remedy that orders a government official or agency to present in court a person suspected of being illegally detained.
Citing its decision last year, the CA said the case of de Jesus and Capuyan “falls within the ambit of the writ of amparo,” forcing the appellate board to dismiss the petitions.
According to the families’ petition, relatives and friends of the missing activists searched for them and learned from informants that the two were reportedly abducted by armed men who claimed to be personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
READ: AFP, PNP deny holding 2 missing Cordillera activists
“The abduction of Dexter and Bazoo by what we believe to be CIDG agents is a violation of their rights to life, liberty and security,” Beverly Longid, national convenor of Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas, said in a statement also issued on Wednesday.
“Since April 28, 2023, Dexter and Bazoo have been denied their fundamental human rights under our Constitution and international standards such as the United Nations (UN) Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Declaration of the Rights of Human Rights Defenders,” she added.
In July last year, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP vehemently rejected the allegations that it arrested or is keeping custody of the activists who were last seen in Taytay, Rizal.
“The PNP and AFP have been implicated in threats, harassment and human rights violations including enforced disappearances. Their persistent denial of the custody of the two underscores their neglect of the fundamental rights of human rights defenders in the country,” Longid said.
“We have conducted activities in Quezon City, Manila, Bulacan, Baguio City and abroad. We also protested at the national headquarters of the PNP and AFP. We have also discussed their case during the visits of various UN Special Rapporteurs to the Philippines,” she recalled.
“We are now seeking legal remedies from the Supreme Court and hoping that the government will take action to address the enforced disappearance of Dexter, Bazoo and all Desaparecidos,” she noted.
Longid also said they will “exhaust” all means to find the two missing activists, as well as other individuals who remain missing.
“We hold accountable the PNP-AFP for their abduction and the Marcos Jr. administration for its inaction and continuing policies of attacks against Indigenous Peoples and advocates,” the group’s head remarked.
“The government should not use its resources to violate the rights of those who defend the Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination and ancestral lands,” she concluded.
INQUIRER.net sought the reaction of the PNP and AFP regarding the case but they have yet to reply as of posting time.