This undated photo release from Karapatan shows its members staging a protest action against the Philippine Army’s counter-insurgency operations.
SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna — A team of human rights activists earlier feared to be held by government soldiers in Rizal province have been located, all 75 of them “safe and accounted for,” the human rights group Karapatan said.
Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said they were able to reestablish contact with their members at 9 p.m. Saturday, more than 24 hours since the group alerted authorities that its team had gone missing.
The team of activists was on a “quick reaction mission” to investigate reports that two Dumagat tribe members were killed after they were caught in the crossfire between Army soldiers and the New People’s Army in Barangay Puray in Rodriguez town in Rizal on March 2.
They left for Rizal on Friday noon but lost contact with their colleagues in Metro Manila at 4 p.m. Friday.
Earlier, Palabay said the latest text message Karapatan received from the group was that they were allegedly being held by members of the Army’s 80th Infantry Battalion. The Army denied this.
In a text message on Monday, Palabay said residents in Sitio Dapis in Barangay Puray had warned the team of military presence in the area.
She said this drove the team to abort their mission and instead spend the night in a school building in Sitio Quinaw.
“Karapatan will continue to investigate in various means and ways the reported human rights violations in line with the AFP’s (Armed Forces of the Philippines) counterinsurgency program, Oplan Kapayapaan, and all-out war against the people of Southern Tagalog,” Palabay added.
Among the cases being investigated by the group was the Feb. 6 killing of farmer leader Gilbert Bancat of San Andres town in Quezon province. SFM/rga