MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) described the complaint filed against them over the alleged abduction of two environment activists as an “act of desperation.”
NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the complaint filed by Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro before the Office of the Ombudsman was like “forum shopping.”
“This is an act of desperation on their part. Number two, this is also forum shopping. Pumunta sila sa korte. They went to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals. Hindi sila nakakuha doon. They now are looking for any venue to pin down and again pillory the National Task Force ELCAC,” Malaya said.
“It’s a harassment. For what? To intimidate. To threaten. Para tumahimik na kami,” he added.
Malaya also said the two filed the complaint for media mileage as their groups are supporting some candidates for the 2025 elections.
“I think the other thing that is a reason why they filed these cases is for media mileage. They have candidates running for senator. They have candidates running for party-list in the next election. And the filing of cases gives them the venue to capture extensive media mileage for them to portray themselves as the vendor of alleged environmentalists na hindi naman,” he said.
On Thursday, Tamano and Castro asked the Ombudsman to preventively suspend the respondents without pay or benefit amid the investigation into their alleged abduction in September 2023.
The two filed a complaint for violation of the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012 and the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 as well as grave coercion under the Revised Penal Code.
They also filed administrative charges for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and oppression and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
In September 2023, the NTF ELCAC claimed that Tamano and Castro surrendered to the 70IB in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan.
The anti-insurgency task force presented the two at a press conference to debunk reports of their abduction. However, the activists said they were abducted by the military./PN
