Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Military denies anew hand in Burgos abduction
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday insisted that it has nothing to do with the abduction of militant Jonas Burgos exactly a year ago amid renewed charges from the victim's mother that soldiers took her son.
"We have been saying or stating even before that Jonas Burgos is not under the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," AFP public information officer Bartolome Bacarro said.
Bacarro made the remarks after Burgos' mother Edita said on the eve of the anniversary of her son's disappearance that the military was behind the kidnapping at a Quezon City mall. She also believed her son is still alive.
"During the start of this case, we have been saying that Jonas is not under our custody and until now Jonas is not under our custody. One thing is definite, he is not under our custody," he said.
The plate number used in the kidnapping belonged to a vehicle that was apprehended and impounded at an Army camp in Bulacan for illegal logging. Also, the plate number of a back-up vehicle used in the kidnapping was traced to a staff car of now retired Army chief Romeo Tolentino.
Bacarro said he is not privy to the efforts of the military intelligence community, which is helping the Philippine National Police (PNP) locate Burgos. "I'm not privy to any information or I'm not privy to updates relative to the effort," he said.
"We have joint efforts with the Philippine National Police. What we are doing is we are supporting the effort of the Philippine National Police, the lead role looking into the case of abduction of Mr. Jonas Burgos is the Philippine National Police," he said.
Bacarro said the AFP is letting the courts act on the habeas corpus case filed by the Burgos family. He said the AFP is cooperating in the hearings by making available its officers who are summoned by the court.
"As a matter of fact, we have military officers who are scheduled to appear before the court sometime in May and these officers will be there and attend the court hearings. Let's wait until there is a resolution through our legal processes," he said.
"The case is already in the courts and of course the very purpose why our officers are attending the hearings of the court is to deny the allegations that indeed it's the Armed Forces of the Philippines which is behind the abduction of Mr. Jonas Burgos," he said. (VR/Sunnex)
