Green activists Tamano, Castro claim ongoing surveillance despite protection order
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the Supreme Court's issuance of a temporary protection order (TPO) for environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, the two revealed an ongoing ordeal of surveillance by law enforcement.
During a press conference held on Thursday, the green activists, allegedly abducted in September 2023, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the TPO issued by the high court.
“Napaghahalataan naman namin na meron pa ring mga sumusunod-sunod at maliban sa amin, naging tuloy-tuloy 'yung intimidation at harassment sa iba pang kilalang individual kung san kami nanggaling sa Bulacan,” Tamano said in a press conference.
(We can see that there are still those who continue to follow, and apart from us, the intimidation and harassment against other well-known individuals from Bulacan have persisted.)
“Sa ngayon, hindi namin nararamdaman na may protection order kaya ang hiling namin sa CA (Court of Appeals), sana maging mabilis 'yung process, susundan namin 'yung mga proceedings pero sana talaga, sumide ang CA sa mga biktima at bigyan na kami ng permanent protection order at production order,” Castro said.
(For now, we do not feel that there is a protection order in place, so our request to the CA is for the process to be expedited. We will follow the proceedings, but we really hope that the CA [Court of Appeals] will side with the victims and grant us a permanent protection order and production order.)
The SC granted the petitions for the writ of habeas data and amparo filed by Tamano and Castro, issuing a temporary protection order due to the established violation of their life, liberty, and security.
Once a TPO is granted, law enforcement officers and government officials are prohibited from entering within a one-kilometer radius of the individual's location.
On Tuesday, the Doña Remedios Trinidad Municipal Trial Court in Bulacan issued an arrest warrant for the pair, charging them with oral defamation.
In a Viber message to Philstar.com, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said that the agency had complied with the high court’s resolution.
“The allegation that the petitioners feel they are under
