THE Department of National Defense has filed perjury cases against environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro who earlier accused the military of abducting them.
They had made the revelations in press conference called by the government’s anti-insurgency task force.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said the cases have been filed and he was informed that subpoenas have been issued to Tamano and Castro.
“I reviewed the case personally and I am convinced that they were lying,” Teodoro said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.
The cases were filed two weeks ago, he said.
“I will not allow serious process to be used as a theater to shame the AFP,” he said.
He said the military, which insisted that Tamano and Castro had surrendered to them, acted in good faith in this incident. This whole thing was “scripted,” he said.
He noted that the stepfather of one of the activists said that they were not intimidated or abducted.
“So, this was a scripted act, really, to embarrass,” he said.
Castro earlier said she and Tamano were taken against their will by military personnel and forced to ride a van. Their lives were threatened, she said.
She also said they signed affidavits under duress while inside a military camp.
The National Security Council denied abducting the activists and said they had “hoodwinked the government’s security forces, the local government officials of Bulacan, and the Public Attorney’s Office.
