Dear friends and colleagues,
Greetings of peace!
James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. were abducted by suspected State forces on the night of August 23, 2024 and August 28, 2024, respectively, in Tabaco City, Albay province.
James Jazmines, 63 years old, and Felix Salaveria Jr., 67 years old, are both cycling enthusiasts and residents of Tabaco City, Albay. Jazmines lived in a rented studio in Barangay San Lorenzo while Salaveria lived in a house in Barangay Cobo.
James, the youngest brother of National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Alan Jazmines, is a 1978 graduate of the Philippine Science High School and a former BS Psychology student of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. He served as information officer of the League of Filipino Students from 1977 to the early 1980s. He later became the executive director of the Amado V. Hernandez Resource Center, a cultural institution, from 1984 to 1988. From 1988 to 1992, he served as information officer of the Kilusang Mayo Uno labor center. Up to the mid-2000s, he was the information technology (IT) consultant of a development NGO and has been working freelance in the IT sector since then. He was known in his community as quiet and unassuming, but also a frequent biker.
Salaveria, a 1976 graduate of San Beda High School and a former Sociology major at the University of the East in Manila, is a founding member and former president of Cycling Advocates (CYCAD), a group that promotes biking as a low-cost, healthy and non-polluting form of transportation. He is also a founding member of Tunay na Alyansa ng Bayan Alay sa mga Katutubo (Tabak) and Kabataan para sa Tribung Pilipino (Katribu), groups advocating for indigenous people’s rights. He was likewise a member of the staff of the now defunct Ethnic Studies and Development Center’s Minority Rights Advocacy Program.
In Tabaco City, Salaveria became known as an avid eco-waste management advocate who encouraged the proper disposal of waste. He coordinated with other groups based in Tabaco for alternative ways of transporting waste for conversion to compost for permaculture, and even donated a bike for this purpose. In addition to his waste disposal advocacy, he also maintained a small community garden in his residence. He was well-liked in his community both for his advocacies and for being a kind and helpful neighbor.
On the night of August 23, 2024, Salaveria celebrated his 67th birthday at Patang Siram restaurant in Barangay San Roque, Tabaco City. James Jazmines was among those invited to Felix’s birthday celebration along with other friends who were also cycling enthusiasts.
At around 10 p.m., they all went home after the birthday dinner. The restaurant is about a kilometer away from James’ house and Felix expected him to arrive home easily. They also had the habit of sending texts to each other once they arrived home, so Felix was puzzled why he did not receive a message from James confirming his arrival at home.
The day after, Felix messaged James again but the latter still did not reply. So by Sunday (August 25, 2024), he decided to find out what happened to James. He thought that James may have met an accident as he was going home on the night of August 23. He received information that James did not arrive at his rented studio and he had been “taken” by a group of men and forced into a white van at around 10 p.m. The van used in the abduction had been parked since 8 p.m. at the street corner where James would have turned to go to his house. There was also another man on a motorcycle trailing the van. This man carried James’ bike after the latter was forced into the van.
At this point (August 26, 2024), Salaveria decided to call the Karapatan National Office’s hotline to report James’ abduction. Karapatan contacted its Bicol chapter to inform them about the abduction and coordinate with them on a quick reaction and search mission. Karapatan dispatched its paralegals to join the team on August 27, 2024 along with James’ wife Cora Jazmines and began the search on the morning of August 28 with the help of Karapatan-Bicol and Altermidya.
However, on August 28, 2024, after 10 a.m., while Felix Salaveria Jr. was on his way home after buying food, he was abducted by men in plain clothes and forced inside a silver van. The abduction was witnessed by his neighbors. It was also recorded on the barangay’s CCTV. The footage showed that the van’s plate number was VAA 5504 and there was a logo (ATEC) on the vehicle’s side. Upon checking, the plate was found to be registered to a Toyota Rush (a sports utility vehicle model) and the ATEC logo that of a tech company in Cabuyao, Laguna.
The quick reaction team was informed of Salaveria’s abduction on the afternoon of August 28. In the course of the search, the mission team members were able to make inquiries at the San Lorenzo and Cobo barangays halls, all in Tabaco City.
They inquired at the Tabaco and Ligao Prosecutor’s Office and Regional Trial Court on whether James was facing cases in these courts. Both offices said that no one by the name of James Jazmines was facing cases in their courts.
They filed a blotter report on James’ abduction with the Tabaco City Philippine National Police on August 29 but had to file it again on August 30 because the Tabaco police failed to make the report on the first day. They also went to the Albay Police Provincial Office to report the abduction. At the PNP-CIDG Region 5 headquarters, the policemen they talked to refused to accomplish the inquiry form into a reported disappeared person’s whereabouts (as per Republic Act No. 10353 or the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law), saying they were unfamiliar with the law against enforced disappearances. But the team was brought to the CIDG detention area to show that James was not there.
The team also reported to incident to the office of Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman and to the Commission on Human Rights regional office and sought assistance in searching for James. The team reported Salaveria’s abduction to Barangay Cobo and the Governor’s office.
In the course of the mission, the team members noted that they were constantly being tailed by men on two motorcycles as they made their rounds in Tabaco City.
We fear that James and Felix may never be surfaced and end up as the 14h and 15th in a steadily growing list of victims of enforced disappearance under the Marcos Jr. regime. The other victims are Gabriela activists Elena Pampoza and Elgene Mungcal, fisherfolk organizer Mariano Jolongbayan, farmers Norman Ortiz and Lee Sudario, peasant organizer Deah Lopez, indigenous rights advocates Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus, NDFP staff Lyngrace Martullinas, habal-habal drivers Renel delos Santos and Denald Mialen, peasant organizer Mar Silos and former political prisoner Rowena Dasig.
We urgently appeal for your support and solidarity by:
- Writing letters and statements calling for the surfacing of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. and to send the letters and statements to the following:
Mr. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines
Fax: +632 742-1641 / 929-3968 / +632 87368621
Email: op@president.gov.ph/pcc@malacanang.gov.phor send a message through http://president.gov.ph/contact-us/
Mr. Eduardo Año
National Security Adviser and Director General of the National Security Council
East Avenue corner V. Luna Road, Quezon City, Philippines
Email: publicaffairs@nsc.gov.ph
Gen. Romeo Brawner, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
Email: pao@afp.mil.ph
Police Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, Chief, Philippine National Police
Email: chiefpnp@ocpnp.com.ph
Atty. Richard Palpal-latoc
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines
Email: ocrpp@chr.gov.ph
- Issuing statements of solidarity for James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. as well as all the disappeared to be circulated to the public and media circles, and calling on the Philippine government to:
a. Surface James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr.;
b. Recall Executive Order No. 70, creating a national task force (NTF) to end local communist armed conflict and institutionalizing the so-called whole of nation approach; to stop all activities emanating from this order, including the smear campaigns and judicial harassment of human rights activists;
c. Withdraw its counter-insurgency program, which victimizes innocent and unarmed civilians, and human rights defenders;
d. Adhere to Republic Act 10353 or the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012 (also known as the Anti-Desaparecido Law).
e. Adhere to and respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and all major Human Rights instruments to which it is a party and signatory.
Please send us a copy of your email to the above-named officials, to our address below:
Karapatan Alliance Philippines
National Office
2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts., Brgy. Central,
Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Telefax: (+632) 435 4146
Email: publicinfo@karapatan.org
Website: www.karapatan.org
- Provide moral and material support to the families of James Jimenez and Felix Salaveria Jr. for their search. You may send a message to publicinfo@karapatan.org or via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/karapatan.