PNP chief orders probe into abduction, death of NGO worker
MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the Philippine National Police has ordered an investigation into the death of a Cebu-based development worker more than a year after she was abducted.
Police General Guillermo Eleazar, PNP chief, directed concerned police units to “conduct a deep probe and trace what happened” to Elena Tijamo who was abducted from her home on Bantayan Island in June 2020 by unidentified men.
Tijamo, program coordinator of Central Visayas-based Farmers Development Center (FARDEC), was reported to have died in a hospital in Mandaluyong City last week.
“I also ordered our Anti-Kidnapping Group to coordinate with Tijamo’s family for additional information that can help shed light on what happened,” Eleazar said.
The country’s top cop urged those who have information about the abduction and death of the development worker to come forward. He added authorities could assist Tijamo’s family in bringing her remains home.
According to rights group Karapatan, a death certificate issued by an attending physician at the VRP Medical Center in Mandaluyong City stated that a certain Ava Perez Reyes reportedly died due to cardiopulmonary arrest and aspiration.
It also said that FARDEC, Tijamo’s organization, had been red-tagged by the National Task Force to End Communist Armed Conflict.
Rights advocates called on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the “treacherous and highly circumstances” of Tijamo’s abduction and death. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
- Latest
- Trending
