Army to file case against two environment activists
Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido will file a case against the two environment activists who claimed that they were allegedly abducted by the military in Bataan early this month.
This was announced by Galido in a media interview on Thursday after Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro changed their statement in the press conference of National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) at the municipal hall of Plaridel, Bulacan on Tuesday.
"Well, we are country of laws. We have rules of law. We have a court here and we felt betrayed that's why we will file the necessary case," Galido said in an interview with the media on Thursday.
"We'll just file the case against them and we'll see, if the case prosper and it materializes then its a blunder they made," he added.
In a virtual press conference of NTF-ELCAC, Associate Solicitor General James Clifford Santos said a "criminal case of perjury" can be file against the two activist.
"(Their) immediate assertions of falsehood clearly has malice to humiliate the NTF-ELCAC," he said.
Santos assures that the Office of the Solicitor General is ready to support the government in filing case against the two activist.
"If there is directive from the higher ups and if the AFP or ... the government official then we will really push through with the filing of the cases we will be ready to assist them, in the process," he said.
During the same press conference, NTF ELCAC reveal the sworn affidavit signed by the two activists, Secretary Ernesto Torres Jr., the executive director of NTF-ELCAC Secretariat said Castro admitted that she was an organizer who become a combatant of the New People's Army (NPA).
"She (Castro) said she was an organizer then became a “hukbo”, which means an NPA combatant, then later went back again to the white area to organize. So, she performs in different capacities, notably as a semi-legal cadre," Torres said.
In the video clip presented by NTF-ELCAC, Castro admitted that she belonged to the NPA Lino Blas Command and was among a group of terrorists figured in an encounter against government forces in 2021 in Bataan. She admitted there were casualties on the NPA side in that firefight.
Torres said Castro also served as the recruiter, handler and schemer of Jhed Tamano who was only barely three months as a community organizer when they decided to leave the communist movement that led to their surrender to the said Army unit.
He also noted that "there are rebel returnees who can attest that Castro is a member of the armed movement."
Despite the government's admission that they were deceived by the activist, Galido expressed belief that there is no need to change the standard operating procedure of the military in processing the surenderees.
"When you are transparent and having a good intention I think there is nothing to be change because every thing is in order we are not fooling anyone here, we are not here to fool our fellow Filipinos but were here to help each other," he said.
"The campaign against terrorist communist group a big faction of this, a big part of this is a propaganda and we have to be very conscious of these environment the way it is been packaged. The way it is been presented is very important. That is why I said the only way to counter this is truth and transparency and with our intention of really making our country better," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
