CA to PNP, AFP: Probe activist’s abduction
The Court of Appeals (CA) has called out the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for failing to exercise full “extraordinary diligence” in investigating the abduction of environmental activist Francisco “Eco” Dangla, even as it denied his petition for the protective writs of amparo and habeas data.
In a 29-page decision dated Sept. 23, the appellate court’s Former 12th Division ruled that while Dangla was indeed abducted in March 2024, he failed to clearly prove that his captors were linked to state security forces.
The court denied his petition for a writ of amparo, which protects individuals whose rights to life, liberty and security are threatened by unlawful acts of state authorities or private entities, and his plea for a writ of habeas data, which shields a person’s privacy from unlawful collection or misuse of personal information.
The appellate court, however, noted that authorities did not fully comply with the requirement of extraordinary diligence under the Amparo Rule on enforced disappearances.
It thus ordered the police and military to further investigate the case to identify and prosecute the perpetrators behind Dangla’s abduction.
Victim’s ordeal
A human rights advocate and environmental defender, Dangla is the convenor of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment and a staff member of the Pangasinan Empowered Action on the Care for the Environment Network.
On March 24, 2024, he and fellow activist Joxelle Tiong were forced by unidentified men into a gray pickup truck after they went to Barangay Polo in San Carlos City, for a community consultation.
Dangla said their abductors interrogated them while he was subjected to physical violence, psychological torture, death threats and accused of being “connected to the armed struggle.”
Desperate and exhausted, Dangla told them what they wanted to hear: that he was a member of the communist party. He was released three days later in La Union.
He later petitioned the Supreme Court, which issued writs of amparo and habeas data and granted a temporary protection order barring high-ranking police and military officers from approaching his location.
It also directed the CA to hold a summary hearing to determine whether he qualified for the privileges of the protective writs.
