Two activists freed in Philippines after being ‘abducted by the military’

Two environmental activists allegedly abducted by the Philippine military more than two weeks ago have been freed.

Jonila Castro, 21, and Jhed Tamano, 22, were working with coastal communities opposed to reclamation activities in Manila Bay when they disappeared on September 2 near the capital Manila.

They were released late on Tuesday night, hours after appearing at a government press conference where they went off script and accused the military of abduction — charges the authorities have repeatedly denied.

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for land and environmental defenders, with 11 activists killed in 2022, according to watchdog Global Witness.

“We proved, because of what happened, that what we are fighting for is correct,” a defiant Castro told reporters and activists after she was freed.

Tamano, who was standing next to Castro, called for “the resurfacing of other victims of forced disappearances”.

On September 15, nearly two weeks after the pair’s disappearance, the National Security Council (NSC) and police announced at a news conference that Castro and Tamano were being held in a safe house after they sought help from authorities.

The authorities denied the women were activists and said allegations by “leftist organisations” that they had been abducted was “fake news” and an “elaborate hoax”.

NSC spokesman Jonathan Malaya claimed the women were “not environmentalists but leftist organisers”.

On Tuesday, however, Castro and Tamano offered a different version of events at a news conference hosted by the government’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which was set up by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The task force has frequently accused government