|
By Rommel C. Lontayao, Reporter
Jonas Burgos disappeared a year ago, and his
family is commemorating the anniversary today to remind people that
they remain hopeful he still is alive and will be brought back to
them.
The Burgos family insists the young activist was
kidnapped by the military, which has denied the allegations.
Investigations regarding the alleged abduction are still ongoing,
and the identity of his abductors remains in dispute.
“The family has engaged in all the peaceful
means available to it to recover Jonas from his captors,” his
mother, Dr. Edita Burgos, said in a statement. “While trying our
best not to leave any stone unturned by pursuing all leads and
seeking relief from all agencies through all avenues, nonetheless,
Jonas remains to be missing.”
In a previous interview with The Manila Times,
Edita Burgos said at least something good has come out of her
son’s alleged kidnapping—that he has put a face to the
desaparecidos or forcefully disappeared in the Philippines. As Edita
Burgos seeks local and international help for her son, the case
helped brought worldwide attention to human rights problems in the
Philippines.
“While we realize that we are faced with
seemingly insurmountable odds, we firmly believe that our God is the
God of Mercy and He will not turn a deaf ear to His people who seek
justice,” Edita Burgos said.
She asked people to “raise our voices in
prayer … for Jonas and the others [who have] disappeared.”
Four unidentified men reportedly dragged Burgos
from a restaurant in Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in
Quezon City on April 28, 2007. Witnesses said the men put Burgos in
a maroon Toyota Revo with the license plate TAB-194, which was later
discovered to be in the custody of the Army’s 56th Infantry
Battalion.
On the day he disappeared, Burgos was expected
to join his family at a gathering at their home. His family had
tried contacting him the following day through his cell phone to
find out why he failed to show up, and after several calls, they got
through to him. He just said, “Sensya na, naliligo lang [Sorry,
just taking a bath].”
His mother said he sounded drunk or drugged.
After that, they couldn’t reach him again. The next day, they
announced that Jonas Burgos was missing.
Witnesses have come forward, saying they saw
Burgos being taken away. They said, Burgos was shouting “Aktibista
lang po ako [I’m just an activist]” while being dragged away.
One of the witnesses, a security guard, said he
tried to intervene, but was told by one of the men that they were
policemen.
Philippine Army officials who were linked to the
alleged kidnapping have denied involvement. Maj. Gen. Delfin Bangit
of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp)
said the military has nothing to do with the disappearance, adding
that Burgos was “not an enemy of the state.”
The military claimed Jonas was a member of the
military wing of the communists, the New People’s Army (NPA). The
military also produced two witnesses who told media that Burgos was
taken by the NPA for violations against that organization.
Jonas was a member of the Alyansa ng Masasaka
sa Bulacan, an affiliate of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP),
which officials have tagged as leftist.
But Edita Burgos insisted her son is not a
communist. And even if he was, he deserves a day in court, not
kidnapped, she said.
Activism is not new to this family. Burgos is
the son of the late press freedom fighter Joe Burgos, who clashed
with former President Ferdinand Marcos during the martial law years.
The elder Burgos owned and managed the
anti-Marcos paper Malaya, where Jonas Burgos developed an interest
in photojournalism.
Later on, he took up political science at the
San Beda College. He wanted to be a priest, his mother said. But as
his family acquired a 12-hectare agricultural lot in San Miguel,
Bulacan, he became interested in agriculture.
He shifted courses and later finished a
bachelor’s degree in agriculture at the Benguet State University.
Until his disappearance, Jonas helped his family manage their
Bulacan farm.
The Burgos family is planning several activities
today, including a march to the Ever Gotesco Mall and a Mass at the
St. Peter Parish.
“Join our voices and help us find strength and
courage to remain steadfast in our search for Jonas and the other
victims of enforced disappearance,” Edita Burgos said.
-- With Justine M. Manuel
|
