The Philippine Army on Thursday stood firm on its contention that the two environmental activists, Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, had "voluntarily surrendered" to the military, contrary to their claim that soldiers abducted them in Plaridel, Bulacan.

Army chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, said the two tricked the military. Hence, criminal charges would likely be filed against them.

"We felt betrayed; that's why we will file the necessary case to use our laws," Galido told the reporters at Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. "We just have to follow the rule of law in our country."

Galido said Castro and Tamano had categorically expressed a willingness to return to the fold of the law after they were radicalized by leftist organizations as "written in their sworn affidavits."

Fresh start

"They went to us, they wanted to return to the fold of the law, they provided a statement, we welcomed them," he said, adding that the Army would continue to offer a fresh start to rebel returnees.

He noted that the same assistance extended by the government to other surrenderers was provided to Castro and Tamano.

At a media briefing organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, Castro and Tamano denied surrendering to the government forces, claiming they were abducted instead.

The NTF-ELCAC insisted that Castro was a "hardcore member" of the New People's Army deployed to communities "disguised as an environmental activist."

Undersecretary Jun Torres Jr., NTF-ELCAC secretariat executive director, said Castro "categorically" admitted her links to the NPA's Lino Blas Command, which had previously operated in the towns of Hermosa, Dinalupihan, Bagac and Morong in Bataan.

Torres said that Castro had confessed that she was a member of the NPA for four years until their supposed surrender to the Philippine Army's 70th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan on 12 September.

"She (Castro) said she was an organizer then became a hukbo, which means an NPA combatant, then later went back to the white area to organize. So she performed in different capacities, notably as a semi-legal cadre," Torres said.