Environmental activists expressed dismay over the third postponement of the arraignment of Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, who are facing grave oral defamation charges stemming from their public disclosure of alleged military abduction in 2023.
The scheduled hearing at the Plaridel Municipal Trial Court in Bulacan was called off on Monday due to the judge’s reported illness.
“Today is yet another date for our arraignment that I’ve lost count of,” said Castro. “We arrived here in Plaridel only to be told that the arraignment was canceled.
Castro criticized the repeated delays as indicative of the slow pace of the Philippine justice system, arguing that the case should not have been filed in the first place and has only served to drain the time and resources of environmental and human rights groups.
Prior hearings had also been postponed due to courtroom repairs and pending resolutions on motions filed by Tamano and Castro to quash the charges and request a transfer of venue, citing threats to their safety.
The two were abducted in September 2023 by reported members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 70th Infantry Battalion and were allegedly coerced into falsely presenting themselves as rebel returnees.
They have since filed petitions for writs of amparo and habeas data, which are still under review by the Supreme Court.
Environmental groups criticized the legal proceedings as retaliatory and part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored harassment.
“This is a blatant act of retaliation. The charges are not just an attack on Jhed and Jonila but on all environmental defenders who dare protect the environment from plunder,” said Mattie Balagat of the Environmental Defenders Congress.
Castro reiterated her call for the case to be dropped, maintaining that she and Tamano were the victims of abduction by state forces and are now being unjustly prosecuted.
She emphasized that their appeal extends beyond their situation, calling attention to the broader pattern of repression faced by environmental defenders.
She stressed that their work is done in service of the environment and the public, and that those who protect natural resources should be safeguarded, not persecuted.
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