NTF-ELCAC welcomes Ombudsman ruling dropping cases vs execs

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Tuesday welcomed the Office of the Ombudsman’s dismissal of criminal and administrative complaints filed by activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro against military, police and security officials, calling the decision a legal vindication for government personnel.

In a 24 June 2026 joint resolution cited by the task force’s Legal Cooperation Cluster, the Ombudsman dismissed charges of arbitrary detention, grave coercion, and violations of anti-torture and anti-enforced disappearance laws against former National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya alongside several military, police and intelligence officers.

The Ombudsman ruled that Castro and Tamano failed to present sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case against the respondents.

“Serious accusations must be established by competent and sufficient evidence — not by propaganda, publicity, or any political theater,” the task force’s legal cluster said in a statement Tuesday.

It added that the ruling protects state security forces from public vilification without proof.

The task force noted that the ruling follows a 2024 decision by the Court of Appeals, which denied Castro and Tamano’s petitions for writs of amparo and habeas data due to lack of evidence.

Task force officials stated that despite political pressure and public accusations, security agencies will continue implementing programs aimed at ending communist armed conflict across the country.