NTF-ELCAC: Activists’ recantation ‘a mockery of state policy’

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or the NTF-ELCAC Legal Cooperation Cluster on Thursday said the recantations made by environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro "is a mockery of state policy," as their sworn statements before a Public Attorney's Office lawyer is a "regularity" under the 1987 Constitution.

In a virtual press briefing Atty. James Clifford Santos, Associate Solicitor of the Office of the Solicitor General and Spokesperson for NTF-ELCAC' Legal Cooperation Cluster, said the two women had admitted in their affidavits that they became members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed group, the New People's Army.

Santos said the two may face perjury charges for their recantation.

"(Their) Immediate assertions of falsehood clearly has malice to humiliate the NTF-ELCAC," Santos said.

Santos cited the paragraphs in Tamano and Castro's affidavit where they admitted to being members of NPA. He also enumerated paragraphs in their affidavits where they said they wanted to surrender and contacted a certain "Ate Bea" to bring them to authorities.

Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., Executive Director of the NTF-ELCAC Secretariat, said these statements, were also handwritten by the two women, and they swore to them as true before PAO Region 3 (Bulacan) and Commission on Human Rights (Region 3) representatives.

"The mother and stepdad of Tamano were also there and a witness, Reynante Bautista, who if I am not mistaken is the Mayor of Angat Bulacan," Torres said.

Torres also presented video footage of interviews of Tamano and Castro before they wrote their sworn statements and one where they attested to the truth of their statements after being asked by the PAO lawyer about it.

"What happened during the press conference on September 19 is unusual. With tremendous amount of good faith (on the part of government) to help these two young ladies, we were betrayed. Even our legal system and the truth," Torres said.