Activists’ protection temporary setback, says NTF-ELCAC

The respondents were directed by the SC to comply with the rules under Section 9 of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo and Section 10 of the Rule on the Writ of Habeas Data.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict disclosed on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision to grant protection to activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano recently is just a “temporary setback.”

In a statement, the NTF-ELCAC stressed that while SC decision is a “setback,” it is also an opportunity for the government to challenge the supposed “deceptive narratives” and “lies” made by the activists.

“The granting of Writs of Amparo and Habeas Data alongside a temporary protection order by the SC for Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano is a temporary setback that presents a great opportunity for government to further debunk their deceptive narratives and expose their lies in open court,” said the NTF-ELCAC.

It added that the case is not done yet because the SC moved it to the Court of Appeals for hearings as it also assured that it will comply with all its legal obligations after the SC decision.

Through the Writs of Amparo and Habeas Data, the SC recently granted protection for Castro and Jhed Tamano, who claimed they were kidnapped by state forces.

The court en banc granted the petition filed by the two against the following individuals and organizations — Lieutenant Colonel Ronnel dela Cruz and members of the 70th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army; Police Captain Carlito Buco and members of the Philippine National Police Bataan; National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya; the NTFELCAC and others under them.

Meantime, the SC said that the respondents were directed to comply with the rules under Section 9 of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo and Section 10 of the Rule on the Writ of Habeas Data.

They were also prohibited from entering within a radius of one kilometer from the persons, places of residence, school, work, or present locations of the activists and their immediate families.

The NTF-ELCAC in September 2023, claimed that Tamano and Castro surrendered to the 70IB in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, in the same month.

It presented the two at a press conference, to debunk reports of their abduction, but the activists said they were abducted by the military which the later denied.