Karapatan slammed Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and state authorities for remaining “conspicuously silent” in the face of growing indications that state forces were behind the abductions of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. in Tabaco City, Albay on August 23 and August 28, 2024, respectively.
“The tell-tale signs of state involvement in the abductions of Jazmines and Salaveria are there,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay. “The state’s silence contravenes Republic Act No. 10353, or the law against enforced disappearance that has been in existence since 2012,” she added.
According to Palabay, CCTV footages obtained during a search mission last September 11-13, 2024 in Albay clearly captured the abduction by men in plain clothes of Felix Salaveria Jr. near his home in Barangay Cobo, Tabaco City, Albay on the morning of August 28, 2024. Witnesses also said that uniformed policemen later broke into Salaveria’s rented house twice that day to take away his personal effects, including his cellphones and laptop. Also clearly seen from the footages is the plate number of the vehicle used.
“An operation like this is highly organized and it was done in broad daylight, indicating the brazen character of the crime. The abduction of Jazmines and Salaveria bears these indicators which are similar to previous cases of such abductions committed by State forces. Several questions remain as the two remain missing, and this includes questions on State actors’ duty to investigate such incidents. So far, no government official has publicly spoken on their abduction,” Palabay said.
Under RA 10353, state security forces are required to issue certifications on the whereabouts of a missing person. They are also required to disclose the location of all detention facilities and allow inspection by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). State authorities responsible for enforced disappearance can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
“Due to the prevailing culture of impunity, however, RA 10353 has failed to act as a deterrent against enforced disappearances, a crime that is on the rise under the Marcos Jr. regime,” said Palabay. “Three abductions occurred in the month of August alone—those of Jazmines, Salaveria and former political prisoner Rowena Dasig who disappeared right after she was acquitted of trumped-up charges,” she added. “This makes 15 victims since Marcos Jr. took power.”
“We urge the CHR to take the necessary steps to ensure the thorough investigation of the Jazmines and Salaveria abductions, in hopes that such measures will lead to their surfacing,” said Palabay. “Those responsible must be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law, and justice rendered to the victims and their families.”