Image Courtesy of: Pilipino Star Ngayon
By: Junex Doronio
RAISING THE POSSIBILITY that fear for their lives may have caused the recantation of two student activists who had claimed they have surrendered to the government after being abducted by communist rebels, the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Wednesday lamented for being on the receiving end.
PAO chief Persida Acosta stood firm that the two activists wrote their affidavits in longhand even before a PAO lawyer from Norzagaray, Bulacan interviewed them.
“Tiniyak ng PAO na ‘yung laman nitong sulat kamay ay ‘yung nasa puso nila. Nag-interview siya, ipinaulit-ulit niya ‘yung mga sinasabi ng dalawa. Ang pakiramdam namin, itong dalawang ito ay may kinakatakutan na may gumanti sa kanila kaya nag-recant,” Acosta said.
On Wednesday, the National Security Council (NSC) also fumed over the recantation of the two activists and accused them of lying.
Last week, in a press conference the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and police claimed that Castro and Tamano had surrendered to the Army’s 70th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan province.
NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya also said that the two had signed affidavits and that they had voluntarily left “the communist movement”.
But self-styled human rights groups expressed doubt on the narrative of Castro and Tamano who had been reported missing since September 2.
(ai/mnm)