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January 16, 2026 | 1:30pm
Court of Appeals building in Ermita, Manila
Creative Commons / Judgefloro
MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has granted the writs of amparo and habeas data in favor of the family of missing activist and social researcher James Valera Jazmines.
In a decision dated January 14, the appellate court declared several high-ranking police officials "responsible and accountable" for failing to exercise extraordinary diligence in investigating Jazmines’ disappearance, which the court officially classified as an “enforced disappearance.”
The following individuals were found “responsible and accountable” by the Court of Appeals:
- Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III
- P/BGen. Andre Perez Dizon – Regional Director, Police Regional Office V
- PCol. Julius C. Añonuevo – Provincial Director, Albay Police Provincial Office
- PCol. Ma. Ivy P. Castillo – Chief, CIDG Regional Field Unit V
- PLt. Col. Edmundo A. Cerillo Jr. – Chief of Police, Tabaco City Police Station
While the court held these local and regional officials accountable, the appellate court dropped Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and former PNP chief Rommel Francisco Marbil as respondents, citing a lack of evidence of their direct participation in the acts complained of.
The writ of amparo serves as a judicial safeguard designed to address extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. It is issued when an individual's fundamental rights to security, liberty, or life are either under threat or have been actively infringed upon.
Meanwhile, the writ of habeas data is a legal protection for individuals whose rights are at risk due to the illegal collection or storage of their private information.
The appellate court further ordered the accountable respondents to preserve and provide all physical and digital evidence related to the case to the court, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), and other investigative bodies.
Furthermore, the CA ordered the PNP and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to lead an expedited and independent investigation to determine whether the disappearance involved state actors and to coordinate with other agencies for forensic and technical support.
Alongside these efforts, the CHR was directed to conduct its own parallel investigation. The CA also ordered the immediate return of any of the victim's personal effects to Jazmines’ family and required all respondents to submit a detailed progress report within 90 days.
What happened before? James Jazmines, a 63-year-old IT consultant and the younger brother of National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Alan Jazmines, was last seen on the evening of Aug. 23, 2024, in Tabaco City, Albay.
He had just attended a birthday celebration for his friend Felix Salaveria Jr., who was also reportedly abducted days later.
The petitioner, James’ wife Ma. Elna Corazon Jazmines, testified that her husband had no pending criminal cases or threats against him, yet vanished following a period marked by red-tagging and fears of surveillance.
CCTV footage from the area showed the coordinated movement of suspicious vehicles, including a gray van and a black pickup truck, circulating near Jazmines’ residence at the time of his disappearance.
