In Manila, the Doña Remedios Trinidad Municipal Trial Court has issued arrest warrants for Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, who are activists opposing the reclamation activities in Manila Bay. The warrants were issued in connection with a grave oral defamation case filed against them by the Department of Justice.
The warrants were dated February 2, 2024, and were issued by Presiding Judge Jonna Veridiano. The Department of Justice filed the case against Castro and Tamano on February 1, 2024.
According to the information filed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Arnold Magpantay and approved by Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento, Castro and Tamano are accused of willfully and unlawfully defaming the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They claimed that they were kidnapped by the military. However, the Supreme Court has granted their petitions for writ of amparo and habeas data.
The Supreme Court determined that the elements of enforced disappearance were present in the case, based on the affidavit of a member of Karapatan and the accounts of witnesses to the abduction. The court also considered the petitioners’ statement that they left their footwear during the struggle with their captors, as well as photos of the abandoned footwear at the scene of the abduction.
The court noted that statements made by someone named Malaya in an ABS-CBN interview, where they announced plans to expose all the information they have and suggested that the two activists may be charged with perjury, were seen as a direct threat to the petitioners’ right to life, liberty, and security.
