FOR HIS FILE A policeman makes no secret of his task to take photos of the people who joined Friday鈥檚 demonstration for the missing activists Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus outside the Court of Appeals in Manila. 鈥擱ICHARD A. REYES
Two Cordillera activists who were allegedly abducted by state agents remained missing on Friday after the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, which were ordered to present them to the Court of Appeals (CA), said they did not receive a copy of the writ of habeas corpus granted by the court to produce the pair.
The hearing on the petition for the writ filed by the families of Dexter Capuyan, 56, and Gene Roz 鈥淏azoo鈥� Jamil de Jesus, 27, who have been missing for more than two months, was reset by the court for Aug. 3 and Aug. 10.
According to Marben Panlasiqui, who represents the families of the activists, said that lawyers of the PNP and the AFP, told the court that they did not receive a copy of the petition and only read about the court鈥檚 order on social media.
鈥淏ut for our part, we sent them a copy of the petition as early as last week, and the CA said they did, too,鈥� Panlasiqui said. 鈥淥f course, we want the hearing to proceed so we can determine whether [De Jesus and Capuyan] are in their custody.鈥�
鈥淲e hoped that today we would have an idea of where they are and how they are,鈥� he said, adding that the reset of the hearing was 鈥済oing to add to the anxiety鈥� of the families who had been waiting to know whether the two men were still alive.
Judicial remedy
A writ of habeas corpus is a judicial remedy that orders anyone, including a government official or agency, who has custody of a person to present him or her in court and to explain the legal basis for depriving that person鈥檚 liberty.
The appellate court directed the National Bureau of Investigation to serve its order to AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Police Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat and Rizal Provincial Director Police Col. Dominic Baccay 鈥渢o appear in court and produce and bring the bodies鈥� of the two men 鈥渋f found to be in their custody.鈥�
The Inquirer asked PNP public information office chief Police Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan and PNP spokesperson Police Col. Jean Fajardo for comment, but neither of them responded as of this writing.
They also did not confirm the PNP lawyers鈥� statement to the court that they did not receive a copy of the CA resolution for the Friday hearing.
The Inquirer also asked whether PNP still stood by Fajardo鈥檚 statement, quoting the CIDG chief, who 鈥渃ategorically denied鈥� any knowledge of the disappearance of the two activists.
Hurting families
De Jesus and Capuyan, both indigenous peoples鈥� rights activists, were last seen on April 28 in Taytay, Rizal province, when they were seized by armed men.
De Jesus鈥� sister, Idda de Jesus-Tiongco, said the driver of a tricycle that drove them on the day they went missing said the gunmen who abducted them identified themselves as members of the CIDG.
鈥淲hether or not they are operatives, the CIDG hould look into that and investigate because they (the missing) have that right,鈥� Idda said.
Capuyan鈥檚 daughter, Gabrielle Capuyan, was dismayed over the postponement of the hearing.
鈥淚 find it very disappointing and infuriating as it only prolongs the hurting of our families and we believe only state forces have the reason to abduct or hold him in custody,鈥� she said.
Her father is known for helping the cause of different indigenous groups in the Cordillera Region. He has been tagged by the military as a high-ranking member of the New People鈥檚 Army (NPA) with pending warrants of arrest and carries a bounty of P2.8 million on his head.
鈥淩egardless of the accusation and allegations made against my father, it is still his right to face this in court,鈥� Gabrielle said. De Jesus was an information officer of the Philippine Task Force on Indigenous Peoples鈥� Rights.
Both De Jesus and Capuyan met that night, but their families are not aware of their relationship or the purpose of their meeting. Both have ties to the University of the Philippines Baguio where De Jesus graduated cum laude in 2016 and Capuyan served as editor of The Outcrop, the student paper, in the 1980s.
鈥淭he postponement of the hearing only adds to our agony that we continue to endure for more than two months since Bazoo and Dexter were abducted and disappeared,鈥� De Jesus鈥� mother, Mercedita, told the Inquirer. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e still hoping that justice will prevail.鈥�
It has been 77 days since the two men disappeared.
鈥淚nstead of the hearing pushing through, we will be forced to continue wondering what happened to our loved ones. We ask that the AFP, the military and the CIDG face us and answer our questions about Dexter and Bazoo鈥檚 whereabouts,鈥� said Capuyan鈥檚 brother, Eli.
鈥擶ITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA
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