Kin of missing activist Jonas Burgos ask SC for help

The family of activist Jonas Burgos on Tuesday joined a protest rally and appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) for help as he remains missing, years since his disappearance in April 2007.

Edita Burgos, Burgos’ mother, asked the SC to implement its writ directing authorities to produce Burgos before the court.

“Implement, no, implement ang kanilang order na i-surface si Jonas. Thirteen years na mula nu'ng nag-decision sila. Six years after nu'ng nawala si Jonas, nakamtam namin ‘yung petition namin,” she said in an ambush interview.

(Implement, implement their order to surface Jonas. It has been 13 years since they made that decision. Six years after Jonas went missing, our petition was granted.)

“Ang order nila, ilitaw si Jonas. Hindi naman — walang nangyari (the order was to surface Jonas. But nothing happened),” she added.

Burgos, an activist and son of the late press freedom fighter Jose Burgos, was abducted in a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on April 28, 2007.

In a ruling, the Court of Appeals recognized that his abduction as a case of enforced disappearance.

Burgos said she and her family will not give up. 

“Tumatanda, pumuputi ang buhok pero hindi humihina. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po tayo ng ano, ng paghahanap, at tuloy-tuloy tayong humihingi ng accountability. Dapat maibalik. Dapat matapos na itong ginagawa nilang pagdukot,” she said.

(We are growing older, our hair turning gray, but we are not weakening. We continue our search, and we continue to demand accountability. He must be returned. These abductions must end.)

“Hindi tamang nakawin ang buhay ng isang tatay. Hindi tama na nakawin ang buhay ng isang anak dahil maghahanap nang maghahanap ang pamilya,” she added.

(It is not right to take the life of a father. It is not right to take the life of a child because the family will keep searching and searching.)

Meanwhile, filmmaker JL Burgos, Burgos’ brother, said that denials from the military that they do not have his brother are not enough.

“Ang utos ng Korte ay ilitaw ‘yung aming kaanak. Ang simpleng ginagawa lang na paghuhugas kamay ay wala sa amin,” he said.

(The court’s order is to surface our relative. Simply washing their hands of it is not acceptable to us.)

“Kaya ang tingin namin talaga, patuloy ‘yung impunity dahil nakakatakas sila at walang justice na na-serve sa mga perpetrators mismo. It’s a continuous cycle,” he added.

(That is why we really think that impunity continues because they are able to escape and no justice is served to the perpetrators themselves. It’s a continuous cycle.) —KG, GMA News