With the evidence of their disappearances and the backgrounds of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr., it is clear that their abductions are premeditated and highly operationalized
The Alipato at Muog documentary, tackling the case of Jonas Burgos, blazed through the silver screen last August, all thanks to Cinemalaya. The documentary even made a bigger fire when the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board decided to give the film an X rating, deeming it unsuitable for public viewing. Through a second review, it finally received an R-16 instead. With the growing awareness about the film came the spark of renewed conversation on the phenomena of enforced disappearances in the Philippines.
Enforced disappearances do not simply pertain to all kinds of abduction. Instead, it particularly refers to cases where the disappearances were done by state forces or enforced by the state. Often, such as the case with political prisoners, the motivation behind the disappearances is political.
During martial law, Ferdinand E. Marcos was notorious for either ordering or enabling these enforced disappearances to silence those fighting against the dictatorship. There are many farmers, workers, community organizers, students, journalists, and activists who remain missing to this day. Such was the case of Jonas Burgos as well. He was an activist and organizer of farmers during the time of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Many disappeared before and after him during the same presidency.
At the end of the documentary, the number of cases of enforced disappearances under the current administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — the son of the late dictator — was emphasized. As of writing at the time, there were 12 cases. Since the film’s premiere, which was less than two months ago, the number has grown to 15. All three of them disappeared in August.
The two latest cases happened in Tabaco City, Albay, five days apart. The victims, James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr., celebrated Salaveria’s birthday with three other friends on the evening of August 23, 2024. After this dinner, Jazmines never made it home.
When Salaveria did not hear from his friend for a few days, his intuition led him to report Jazmines’ disappearance to Karapatan, a human rights organization. Five days after his friend’s suspected disappearance, on August 28, 2024, a fact-finding team went to Albay to search for Jazmines. Salaveria did not contact the team, leading them to believe that Salaveria had been abducted too.
During a press conference led by the two families — namely Cora Jazmines, the wife of James; and Felicia Ferrer and Gab Ferrer, the daughters of Felix — CCTV footage was shown to strengthen their cases. Screenshots of CCTV footage show a gray van exit an alley where Jazmines was suspectedly abducted. It is suspected as well that the van was the vehicle used for the abduction. The screenshots also show a gray SUV, a black pick-up, and two motorcycles follow the van as it leaves.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage from Barangay Cobo shows the exact moment Salaveria was abducted. He was walking home after going to an eatery and buying from a sari-sari store when a gray van stopped beside him. At least two men came down from the van and violently shoved Salaveria into the vehicle. The footage also shows many witnesses and a few people suspected to be part of the operation.
In the fact-finding mission, the punong barangay (village chief) also confirmed that suspicious men had been noticed in the barangay for a few weeks before the abductions. They said that they were from “intelligence” and were looking for a “malaking tao” or big fish.
James is 63 years old and is an IT consultant and social researcher, according to his family. He was staying in Tabaco City for his research work. He was also the editor of Commitment, the publication of the League of Filipino Students, and served as the information officer for the Kilusang Mayo Uno labor center from 1988 to 1992. Most relevant to his abduction as people believe, he is the younger brother of Alan V. Jazmines, a consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines during the peace talks with the Philippine Government under the Duterte administration. Alan was released from political detention in 2016 but went underground when the peace talks were scrapped in 2016.
Meanwhile, Felix just turned 66 years old. He is a founding and active member of Cycling Advocates or CYCAD, a group that promotes bicycle riding as a low-cost, healthy, and environmentally-friendly alternative mode of transportation. He was also a founding member of Tabak and Katribu, groups advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples in the 1980s. Additionally, people know him as an avid eco-waste management advocate and an environmentalist in the community.
With the evidence of their disappearances and the backgrounds of the two victims, organizations and lawyers working on the cases strongly suspect that these are indeed enforced disappearances. In the mission we conducted in Tabaco, Albay, and from the CCTV tapes we obtained and the witnesses we interviewed, it is clear that the abductions are premeditated and highly operationalized. It is also clear that enforced disappearances are political in nature, which seems like the case for Jazmines and Salaveria.
While the documentary Alipato at Muog has been keeping the fire alive when it comes to discussing enforced disappearances in the Philippines and bringing it to larger avenues, we also hope that its audience and viewership can amplify the call to surface James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria Jr. After all, director JL Burgos said that the real fight comes after the documentary, when viewers decide to act.
We also hope that the current administration will listen to these calls and be just to its people. Cora Jazmines, Felicia Ferrer, and Gab Ferrer all demand that the state forces, especially the Philippine National Police, conduct a thorough investigation.
We will continue to search for the truth, for justice, for those who have disappeared. Surface all desaparecidos! Surface James and Felix! – Rappler.com
Tony La Viña and Ben Te are affiliated with the La Viña Zarate law firm and are lawyers of the families of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria.
