1 day ago
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ENVIRONMENTAL advocacy group Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) lauded a Bulacan court's dismissal of grave oral defamation charges against environmental defenders Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.
In September 2023, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) presented Castro and Tamano as rebel surrenderers during a press conference. However, the two denied this and said they were abducted by military forces and deprived of access to legal counsel and their families for 17 days.
Months later, the Department of Justice recommended the filing of grave oral defamation charges against Castro and Tamano, who responded by filing a motion to quash information.
Kalikasan PNE referred to the decision as "timely and symbolic" as it was issued on World Environment Day.
It said the case filed against the two was "a desperate attempt to cover up a brazen abduction and silence two courageous young women who dared to speak the truth."
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"This court victory exposes the case for what it truly was: a desperate maneuver to cover up state-perpetrated abduction and to intimidate those who resist," the statement from Kalikasan PNE said.
The organization said the decision reflects that the court found Castro and Tamano's pronouncements as not malicious but statements made in good faith. It added that the court found the complaint filed against the two as unsuccessful in establishing any of the elements of defamation and lacking legal standing.
"This is not just an isolated incident. It is part of a systematic campaign of repression against environmental and human rights defenders," the group said.
