Philippines: Manalo brothers hailed as heroes by desaparecidos’ kin

Escaped victims to provide vital testimony in court for the writ of amparo petition

The Families of Desaparecidos for Justice (Desaparecidos) today hailed the Manalo brothers for their courage to testify in court for the writ of amparo petition for the two missing UP students and their peasant companion.

“Peasant brothers Reynaldo, 38 and Raymund, 26, have shown the courage of heroes for taking the witness stand today against those who subjected them to more than a year of torture, illegal detention, servitude and other injustice, which they suffered along with other victims,” said Guy Portajada, spokesperson of Desaparecidos.

The written testimonies of the Manalo brothers were earlier submitted at the Court of Appeals for the amparo petition for UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño and peasant Manuel Merino. The three were abducted by military men in brgy. San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan in the early morning of June 26, 2006.

The Manalo brothers were earlier abducted on Feb. 14, 2006 in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. They said they were transferred from one military camp to another in Central Luzon, and they had talked to the two women while in detention in Bulacan and later in Bataan. The two escaped from their captors only this August. They had filed for a writ of amparo at the Supreme Court.

“They are among the brave heroes who help light the way in our search for Sherlyn and Karen,” said Sherlyn’s mother Erlinda. “If only there were more victims and witnesses like them who overcome their fear and chose to fight back at the military men.”

Portajada said that the two men are the lastest to give undeniable proof that it is the Armed Forces of the Philippines who conduct the abductions and disappearances, despite their official statements blaming other forces. “They abducted Raymund and Reynaldo, tortured and kept them incommunicado, just like what they had done to Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel and more than 180 other victims. These military men must pay for these human rights violations,” Portajada said.

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