Families urge for return of missing activist, advocate in Albay

MANILA, Philippines — The families of human rights activist James Jazmines and cycling advocate Felix Salaveria Jr. have appealed for their immediate and safe return after they have been missing for several days.

In an online press conference organized by human rights group Karapatan on Tuesday, September 3, the families of the “desaparecidos” said that they had been missing since the last week of August.

They were allegedly being abducted by “state forces” in Tabaco City, Albay. 

Who are they?

Jazmines, 63, was last seen on August 23 in Barangay San Lazaro, Tabaco City, Albay. 

He is the youngest brother of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Alan Jazmines.

According to his wife, Cora Jazmines, their family has experienced harassment, particularly when James' brother Alan was being hunted by the military and during the years when Alan was involved in the peace negotiations between the NDFP and the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

It can be recalled that Alan was released from detention in 2016 when Duterte reopened the peace talks between the government and the NDFP. 

However, he once again went underground when the former president scrapped the peace talks in 2017. 

Cora also expressed her worry as James suffers from hypertension and chronic leg pain.

“We call on the country's duty bearers to help us locate James and bring him back to us safely,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Salaveria was a founding member of Cycling Advocates which promotes bicycling as “a low-cost, healthy and environmentally sustainable form of transportation,” according to her daughter Gab Ferrer. 

“He is a true believer in the benefits of bicycling and has taken us, his daughters, biking for as long as we can remember,” she said in the same online press conference.

Salaveria also suffered a stroke in 2023 and was paralyzed on the left side. He is still recovering, according to Ferrer. 

“We appeal on humanitarian grounds to the authorities who are detaining him to surface our father, Felix Salaveria, immediately, along with the others who have also disappeared. Our families need to know that they are safe and healthy, and we want to ensure that their constitutional rights are protected,” she said. 

How were they abducted?

Following their reported abduction, Karapatan conducted a fact-finding mission in hopes of locating Jazmines and Salaveria.

According to the four-page report after the mission, it said that Jazmines was abducted on August 23 after Salaveria’s birthday celebration.

Two days later, Salaveria received information that Jazmines went missing. The latter was said to have been taken by a group of men and forced into a white van along his way back home.

This prompted Salaveia to call the Karapatan National Office’s hotline to report

James’ abduction. The group, through its Bicol chapter and its paralegals, conducted the fact-finding mission.

On August 28, however, Salaveria was abducted by men in plain clothes and forced into a silver van while on his way home.

The abduction was witnessed by his neighbors, according to Karapatan’s report. It was also recorded on the barangay’s CCTV.

Involvement of ‘state actors’ present

According to Karapatan’s report, the pair’s abduction has a “high probability” of state actors being involved. 

They first pointed out the pattern of abduction, which is similar to a 2007 abduction case, where the plate numbers of the vehicles can be traced back to a military camp.

“This modus, which is clearly meant to throw searchers off the trail, was also used in Salaveria’s abduction,” the report read.

The report also pointed out the taking of Salaveria by men in plain clothes. Witnesses also reported that uniformed policemen entered his home later that night to confiscate his belongings, including his laptop and cellphone.

“The speed with which the uniformed policemen arrived after the abduction points to the distinct possibility that the abduction and the seizure of Salvatiera’s belongings are parts of the same state-sponsored operation against him,” the report read. 

It also suggested that Salaveria may have become a target after he began inquiring about Jazmines’ disappearance and reported it to the human rights group Karapatan.

The report likewise stated the Philippine National Police in Region 5 refused to sign the inquiry form for the conduct of a thorough and impartial probe into cases of enforced disappearances. 

“Under RA 10353, State actors have the duty and obligation to conduct thorough and impartial investigations on cases of enforced disappearances. However, when presented with the inquiry form as per the law, the PNP CIDG in Region 5 refused to sign it, claiming that they were unaware of such a law,” the report read. 

Based on the recommendation, Karapatan urged the Commission on Human Rights to conduct an impartial investigation into the disappearance. 

They also asked law enforcement forces to stop intimidating human rights organizations assisting in the search for the two missing individuals.