Rights group hits Marcos over silence in Albay activists’ abductions

MANILA, Philippines — Rights group Karapatan on Monday slammed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over his (and his administration’s) silence on the alleged abduction of two activists in Albay.

In a statement, Karapatan noted Marcos to be “conspicuously silent” amid indications that state forces were behind the abductions of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. in Tabaco City, Albay on August 23 and August 28, 2024, respectively.

READ: Karapatan calls for probe into alleged abduction of 2 Albay activists

“The tell-tale signs of state involvement in the abductions of Jazmines and Salaveria are there,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay in a statement.

“The state’s silence contravenes Republic Act No. 10353, or the law against enforced disappearance that has been in existence since 2012,” she added.

According to Palabay, CCTV footage showed that Salaveria was abducted by men in plain clothes near his home in Barangay Cobo, Tabaco City, Albay, with witnesses claiming that uniformed police officers later broke into Salaveria’s home twice that day and took his personal belongings.

“An operation like this is highly organized and it was done in broad daylight, indicating the brazen character of the crime. The abduction of Jazmines and Salaveria bears these indicators which are similar to previous cases of such abductions committed by State forces,” Palabay said, who noted that no government official has yet to publicly acknowledge their abduction.

Palabay then stressed how Republic Act 10353 has failed to serve as a “deterrent against enforced disappearances.”

The said law requires state security forces to issue certifications on the whereabouts of missing persons; disclose the location of all detention facilities and allow inspection by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR); states that authorities responsible for enforced disappearance can be sentenced to life imprisonment

“Three abductions occurred in the month of August alone—those of Jazmines, Salaveria, and former political prisoner Rowena Dasig who disappeared right after she was acquitted of trumped-up charges,” Palabay said.

“This makes 15 victims since Marcos Jr. took power,” she added.

Palabay then called on the Commission on Human Rights to conduct a thorough investigation of Jazmines and Salaveria’s abductions.