A small man in the person of Mr. Noel “Jun” Lozada made himself big when he decided to expose the wrong doing of some people in the government. But as in the case of unresolved extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances, the government is “..in a state of constant denial.” (Sir Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial Execution, Investigation Report to the UN)
But truth has its way of showing itself as authentic no matter how hard those fiddling lies try to mess it up. Truth will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water. (Miguel de Cervantes).
State agents tried hard but failed to refute Jun Lozada’s allegation that he was kidnapped from the airport on February 5. It took his abductors more than five hours before he was returned to his family alive. Thanks to the vigilance of the media. A lot more, however, were not as fortunate.
Many victims of enforced disappearances are either found dead or continued to be missing and nowhere to be found. Among them were Flaviano Arante, 53, and Reynold Yanoc, 18, residents of Barangay Talalac, Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental. They have been missing since January 27 this year and December 7, 2007 respectively. Relatives of the victims claimed that Flaviano and Reynold were taken by military elements belonging to the 12th IB PA and 61st IB PA. Arante’s son also claimed he managed to visit his father at the 12th IB PA detachment at Barangay Nagbinhod and confirmed him to be alive before he gone missing on January 27. The military denied they have him in their custody.
Telling the truth can be fair enough to the family of victims than leave them worrying about their loved ones. The military should reveal the truth and the whereabout of their arrested suspects. They should stop acting like some politicians who have penchant for lying even when the truth is already exposed. The Rule of Law dictates that military and police should bring suspects to face trial in court and to commit their arrested persons to the jail.
The arresting authority should tell the truth, rather than deny, as to what happened to their victims. Part of their duty is not just enforcing the law but also dispensing justice.
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) Visayas
Email: lnr_gomez@yahoo.com