NTF-ELCAC: SC granting protection to activists Castro, Tamano a ‘setback’

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has described as a  temporary setback the Supreme Court’s decision to grant protection for activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.

Despite this, however, the NTF-ELCAC said that the SC decision 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,” it said in a statement issued Friday.

The NTF-ELCAC pointed out that the case is not done yet because the SC moved it to the Court of Appeals (CA) for hearings.

Also, the Task Force 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 SC 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 NTF-ELCAC and others under them

The SC directed the respondents 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 respondents were 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.

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

The Task Force presented the two at a press conference, ostensibly to debunk reports of their abduction. However, the activists said they were abducted by the military. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News