MANILA (Updated) -- The son of the Cordillera Peoples Democratic Front spokesperson is now detained at the Ifugao provincial jail days after he was reported "missing" following his arrest by a group of men posing as law enforcers.
Grayson Naogsan was arrested by five civilian-wearing men who introduced themselves as policemen on November 5, the human rights group Karapatan said. He was then having coffee with a companion inside a mall in Baguio City.
The group said the alleged policemen told Naogsan's companion that they will take him to the Philippine National Police general headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Karapatan and Naogsan's wife went to the offices of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Complaints Referral Action Center office in Camp Crame last November 5 and 6, respectively.
Both offices said they had no knowledge of operations conducted to arrest Naogsan, according to Karapatan. The police offices also said Naogsan was not in their custody.
On Thursday, Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) secretary general Jude Baggo confirmed that Naogsan is in Ifugao provincial jail.
A police source from the Cordillera Police Regional Office earlier confirmed through text messages that Naogsan was indeed arrested by police operatives on November 5.
The source said Naogsan was apprehended by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court branch 35 of Bontoc, Mt. Province.
The source added that Naogsan is an officer of the Abra Provincial Committee and a member of the Kilusan Larangang Guerilla Marco, Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee.
However, Baggo said Naogsan is not a member of the groups identified by the police. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)