CA orders PNP, AFP: Present missing activists

By Daphne Galvez

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) were ordered by the Court of Appeals to present missing indigenous peoples’ rights advocates Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamil de Jesus.
    In a resolution dated July 8, the 13th division of the CA said the petition for writ of habeas corpus filed by the families of De Jesus and Capuyan on Wednesday last week were ”sufficient in form and substance.”
    The families of the activists asserted that the two are likely in government custody, citing information that they received.
    The CA ordered AFP chief Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., Rizal police director Col. Dominic Baccay and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat “to appear before the court today and bring the bodies and persons of Capuyan and De Jesus if found in their custody.”

The two were reportedly taken by men who introduced themselves as CIDG agents in Taytay, Rizal on April 28.

Capuyan, a member of the Bontoc-Ibaloi-Kankanaey indigenous group, was tagged by security forces as a ranking member of the New People’s Army in Ilocos and the Cordilleras.

A bounty of P2.85 million has been offered for his arrest.

De Jesus is the information and networking officer of the Philippine Task Force on Indigenous Peoples Rights.

Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. David Peredo said neither Capuyan nor De Jesus was in their custody.