Malaya Movement calls for accountability, defund the NTF-ELCAC!

Near the 51st Anniversary of Martial Law, Marcos’ military revealed to be abductors of 2 environmental activists

Malaya Movement USA urgently calls attention to the most recent development in the case of youth environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.

In a live press conference by the National Task-Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), Castro and Tamano publicly revealed that they were in fact abducted and forced to “surrender” by the AFP.

Castro and Tamano made an extremely courageous decision by refusing to parrot the NTF-ELCAC, likely under mortal threat. They helped further expose the NTF-ELCAC’s policy of forcing activists they abduct into publicly claiming highly manufactured lies that paint state forces as blameless and activists as undercover armed insurgents, in order to justify the military’s and police’s open war against democratic dissent.

This is not an isolated case with regard to the NTF-ELCAC and the conduct of counterinsurgency by the Philippine government. As in the case of Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha in Cebu, Steve Tauli in the Cordillera, and others, the Marcos administration continues the Duterte administration’s policy of brutality and mass deception. It is an inconceivable travesty that something like the NTF-ELCAC exists in a supposedly democratic country.

While Castro and Tamano have been released from military custody, the public must remain vigilant and continue to call for their safety, as their decision to defy the NTF-ELCAC means they have heightened the wrath of the taskforce that red-tags to justify the brutal silencing of environmental and human rights activists. Shamefully, the Department of National Defense has publicly stated that it will potentially pursue a perjury case against the two activists for recanting statements they made under duress.

Prior to being abducted and detained by the AFP, Castro and Tamano were helping fishing communities whose livelihood is being destroyed by the reclamation project in Manila Bay. Under Marcos, the Philippines remains one of the deadliest countries in Asia for environmental defenders, at least 11 of whom were killed in 2022.

On the eve of the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, we demand President Marcos Jr. abolish the NTF-ELCAC and hold accountable every single person responsible for abducting Castro and Tamano.

We call on all Malaya Movement USA members and all human rights advocates to continue to expose the fascist tactics used by the Marcos regime to silence activists. Join actions across the country to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.