MANILA - Lea Reloj was a high school student when her older brother disappeared in 1988.

On Monday, she joined some families that gathered at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, that falls on Tuesday.

When it was her turn to speak, Lea could not hold back tears as she recalled the day her brother was abducted at the covered court in their barangay in Malabon City.

“Kakakasal lang po niya nung time na iyon. Three months matapos makasal, doon siya dinukot sa court namin. Nasaksihan namin ng mga kapatid ko at kaibigan niya. Nung time na iyon, si Nanay naliligo, hindi niya nasaksihan ang pagdukot sa Kuya,” Reloj said.

“Mayroong apat na sasakyan at mga armado sila. Sinuyod po talaga ang mga aktibista sa amin sa Malabon-Navotas. Si Kuya, aktibista na sa time ng Martial Law. Victim din siya. Isa siya sa mga inano ni Marcos ng time na iyon," she added.

“Nung time na nawala ang Kuya, sobrang bigat sa pamilya kasi breadwinner siya, katuwang ng Nanay. May asawa na rin siya. Nung hinahanap siya ng Nanay, hindi na makapagtrabaho ang Nanay at Tatay kasi araw-araw laging nag-iikot ang Nanay, sa Malacañang at kung saan mang may tagong kulungan."

Reloj’s mother died without seeing her son again.

“Si Nanay, bago mamatay, winish niya na makita ang Kuya… Sobrang sakit sa amin. Hanggang ngayon, inaalala ko ang Kuya. Naiiyak pa rin ako,” she said.

"Sobrang dagok sa pamilya namin na mawalan ng kapatid na hindi pa po namin nakikita hanggang ngayon. Kahit alaala, nandito siya sa amin. Buti sana kung nakita namin siyang wala na, mayroon kaming pagsisindihan ng kandila at dadalawin sa sementeryo. Pero sa nangyari sa amin, hindi namin alam saan siya."

As of June this year, the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearances (FIND) has documented 2,520 victims of enforced disappearances nationwide.

Most of those missing were recorded during the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., at 1,022. The years 1983 to 1985, which was the peak of the campaign against Marcos' dictatorial rule, have the highest number of reported disappearances.

During the administration of former President Corazon Aquino, 825 incidents were reported from 1987 until 1989, the group said.

There was a decline in the number of victims during the Ramos and Estrada administrations, at 80 and 64, respectively.

Under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, there were 353 victims reported as a result of her all-out war against communist insurgents and terrorists.

Under former President Benigno Aquino III's administration, FIND recorded 32 desaparecidos.

The group documented 144 cases of missing persons during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Kada administration, patuloy iyan… Cory, Ramos, Erap, Gloria, PNoy, hanggang kay Duterte. Kay Duterte, may political activists, at ang nabago, may mga biktima ng war on drugs,” FIND acting secretary-general Louie Crismo told ABS-CBN News.

Crismo’s brother, Romeo, is also a desaparecido—the term used to refer to a person who disappeared, was abducted, imprisoned or killed by government forces during the repressive years of the military juntas in Latin America.

Romeo, who was 24 years old at the time he was abducted, worked as a teacher at the Saint Louis College in Tuguegarao, Cagayan. Louie was 22 when his brother disappeared.

“Ang kapatid ko, winala noong August 12, 1980. Isa siyang guro sa Saint Louis College sa Tuguegarao, Cagayan. Mula noon, ‘yun ang huling pagkakita namin. Hindi na namin siya muling nakita. Papasok siya sa campus. Nakita siya ng mga estudyante na papasok sa gate… Kaya lang, pagkatapos ng 30 minutes, nagtaka sila bakit wala pa. ‘Yun pala… sa gate, may nakakita na apat na estudyante na kinuha siya ng naka-plain clothes men at sinakay sa sasakyan. Hindi na namin nabalitaan pa ano ang nangyari,” Crismo shared.

“Mahirap para sa pamilya, lalo ang aking Nanay. Nang mawala siya, ang Nanay ko bigla na lang naglalakad kung saan-saan, parang at a loss siya. Ang aking Tatay naman, naghanap din. Nag-consult pa sa mga medium na nagsasalita ba. Anumang paraan para hanapin, ginawa nila. Lalo na rin ang kaniyang asawa na for seven years, naghanap siya nang naghanap.”

Crismo said enforced disappearances still persist in the country today as an administration’s way to instill fear or as perpetrators’ way to evade persecution.

“To instill fear. Noong panahon ng Martial Law, ang pinapaglaban ng mga nawawala ay para sa hustisya, kalayaan at demokrasya. 'Pag nabangga mo ang nasa kapangyarihan, ang natural na magiging reaksyon ay supilin ka, takutin ka sa pamamagitan ng pagpatay, pag-torture at pag-detain sa iyo. May resistance, may repression. The bigger the resistance, the bigger the repression,” Crismo said.

Jose Marie Faustino, secretary-general of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), added: “Sa nangyari lahat noong panahon ng Marcos, tayo na naman ay nasa ilalim ng isa pang Marcos. Noon, may diktadurya. Ngayon, wala pa naman… Dati na tayong takot at nagsasalita at naninindigan. Gagamitin po natin ang pananakot na ito para palakasin ang ating kalooban na hindi tumigil sa pakikipaglaban para sa ating lipunan.”

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The Philippines’ Republic act No. 10353 or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012 defines enforced or involuntary disappearance as “the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty committed by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which places such person outside the protection of the law.”

The Commission on Human Rights said though that the law is not properly enforced.

“Patuloy itong nagaganap sa kabila na signatory ang PH sa International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Mayroon na rin tayong RA 10353," said Melchor Cayabyab, Human Rights Training Unit head of the CHR - Human Rights Education and Promotion Office.

"Bagama't nagkaroon na tayo ng Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012—ipinagmamalaki natin na ito ay pinakauna sa Asya—nananatiling nagaganap ang mga kaso ng sapilitang pagkawala. Patuloy itong nagaganap bunga ng pamamayani ng kultura ng impunidad at kabiguan na mapanagot at maparusahan ang perpetrators,” he added.

“Batay sa pahayag ng PH Alliance of Human Rights Defenders, impunity and human rights violations have long eroded the people’s trust in the justice system. Kaya mismong pamilya ng mga biktima, hindi na nagtitiwala sa hustisya… and refuse to pursue legal actions against beknown perpetrators."

"Tayo sa Pilipinas, nagawa nating mapaamin ang estado na meron siyang pananagutan sa paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng Batas Militar. Pero nananatiling bigo tayo na mapanagot ang perpetrators. Ni wala tayong napakulong at nabitay para magbigay hustisya sa kawalan ng ating pamilya,” Cayabyab lamented.

Crismo agreed, adding that the government and the public must have a proper grasp of the concept of human rights.

“Mayroon nga tayong batas na Anti-Enforced Disappearance. Ang pwedeng gawin diyan, talagang ipatupad ‘yan upang magkaroon ng kaparusahan ang nag-commit ng enforced disappearance," he said.

"‘Yung repressive laws natin tulad ng Anti-Terrorism Act, sana huwag payagan sa batas. Sa enforced disappearances, hindi binibigay sa iyo ang right to know, karapatan ng pamilya kung ano ang nagyayari sa mga mahal sa buhay. 'Pag nagtatagal ‘yan, mahirap sa pamilya magkaroon ng closure," he added.

The human rights groups and families of victims of involuntary disappearances challenged the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reveal the truth behind all enforced disappearances, uphold due process and the rule of law, fully and strictly implement RA 10353, and end impunity and injustice.

They also urged the Marcos Jr. government to stop historical distortion to misrepresent what truly characterized the Marcos Sr. dictatorship.

“Binabalewala ang kasaysayan, may mga pangyayari. Sana huwag i-deny ang human rights violations na nangyari… Aminin ang mga pagkakamali at gumawa ng mga pamamaraan para matigil ang lahat ng violations na ito,” Crismo said.

“Mag-50 taon na ang Martial Law sa September. Hindi pa rin tapos ang ating pakikipaglaban, hindi pa rin natin nakikita ang ating mga kamag-anak, kaya rin naman hindi pa tayo tumitigil sa ating ginagawa,” AFAD's Faustino said.

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