Text and slideshow by VINCENT GO
WITH fresh evidence that her son ended up in military custody after he disappeared six years ago, Edita Burgos is demanding that the Armed Forces of the Philippines own up to the abduction and reveal his whereabouts.
Burgos submitted to the Supreme Court a photo of her son Jonas, reportedly taken shortly after his abduction at a mall in Quezon City six years ago. The picture showed him with a handkerchief, still hanging around his neck, believed used to blindfold him. Jonas seemed dazed and had markings below his eyes.
The photo, along with documents, will form part of new evidence Burgos hopes will compel the Supreme Court to order a reinvestigation of the case, which is now with the Court of Appeals.
The evidence, she said, was obtained from an undisclosed reliable source two weeks ago.
Among the new evidence are reportedly classified Army documents, an “After Apprehension Report,” as well as a “Psycho Social Processing Report” and an “autobiography” of Jonas.
“The evidence would prove that the intelligence unit of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army and the 56th Infantry Battalion operating together abducted Jonas on April 28th, 2007,” Mrs. Burgos said.
She added that the new evidence is a “special gift” to Jonas, who would have turned 43 on March 29.
Human rights organization Karapatan asked the Aquino government to punish the military officers and soldiers identified to be involved in Jonas’ disappearance.
Among those implicated in the abduction are then First Lieutenant and now Major Harry Baliaga, his military unit, and his superiors, including General Eduardo Año who was recently appointed by President Aquino as chief of the AFP Intelligence Service.