KALIKASAN PEOPLE’S NETWORK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
PRESS STATEMENT
16 February 2024
Defend the defenders! On the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the petition of environmental defenders Jhed and Jonila
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment commends the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to grant anti-reclamation advocates Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro writs of amparo and habeas data, as well as a temporary protection that would shield them from state security agents.
Based on the SC’s 18-page decision, there is a probable cause of enforced disappearance based on the overwhelming evidence the two environmental activists provided. It also said that there was an “established violation or threat to the life, liberty, or security” of Castro and Tamano.
The SC’s decision also directly counters the Department of Justice’s December 2023 resolution recommending that Castro and Tamano be charged with slander for supposedly vilifying the military in the September 2023 press conference that secured their release. That the case of enforced disappearance has been established clearly debunks the military narrative that the two environmental advocates “voluntarily surrendered”.
The state forces’ modus of presenting abducted activists as “rebel surrenders” is nothing new. We can trace other stories of enforced disappearance like that of Cebu development workers Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, wherein the police coerced them to sign an affidavit telling that they were surrendering as communist rebels. Coastal ecosystem defenders have also been red-tagged and harassed by state forces for opposing reclamation in Manila Bay and other parts of the country. It is high time that environmental and human rights defenders are given protection for defending people and the environment’s rights.
We stand with Castro and Tamano in their fight against legal attacks and harassments thrown by their captors. This is a monumental victory for environmental defenders, but the fight is still not over. We will not stop demanding justice until the perpetrators of enforced disappearances are held accountable. And, as always, we will continue to fight alongside Jhed and Jonila as they campaign against the destruction brought about by reclamation projects in Manila Bay.
Stand with Jhed and Jonila!
No to reclamation, defend Manila Bay!
