00:00 People who were allegedly coerced or much worse abducted don't write affidavits that actually
00:04 belie what they have earlier publicly declared. This is the message the NTF-ELCAC wants to tell
00:10 naysayers after producing a documentary evidence of the two environmental activists who earlier
00:16 claimed they were taken against their will by members of the AFP. Bea Bernardo has the full details.
00:25 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict released the handwritten affidavits
00:31 of two environment activists who accused soldiers of kidnapping them. In Junila Castro's narrative,
00:37 she asked help from so-called "Ate Bea" to talk to authorities. At first, they felt scared because
00:43 their former colleagues might get back to them but they were able to convince her. On September 12,
00:49 Bea took them to a place where they could surrender to the authorities. Castro also said
00:54 her statement is true and added that the news that they were kidnapped were not true. She got
00:59 worried but her desire to leave the group intensified when they learned their rival group
01:03 wanted to kill them. The content of Jed Stamayo's narrative was similar with Castro's where she said
01:09 their lives are in danger and this pushed her to leave the group. She says she wanted to turn over
01:14 a new leaf and be with her family and doesn't want to be involved in any group's issue. These
01:19 statements are contrary to the ones made by the two when they appeared at a press conference this
01:24 Tuesday in Bulacan. NTF-LCAP also released a photo where lawyers from the public attorney's office
01:31 can be seen talking to the two activists. Tamano's parents also came. We were betrayed,
01:37 unfortunately, through a web of deceptions. Their parents were the betrayed. People who expressed
01:47 their willingness to help were betrayed also. Even our legal system apparently is being betrayed at
01:55 the moment. After what happened, the leadership of the Philippine army is confident the accusations
02:01 of environment activists have no effect in public. We're true to our role of making this country
02:08 better by really making the task force LCAP EO70 and with the effort of the local government
02:23 officials and all government agencies to really crush the communist terrorist movement. You should
02:30 not be afraid of us because we're your friend. We're coming to help you. The Philippine army
02:36 earlier said that what happened might be a part of a plot where the goal of the activists is to
02:41 shame them. This is also a way to return to the faults of the law. We need to balance building
02:49 trust and confidence for those who are thinking of coming back to us on one hand and on the other
02:56 hand to be more cautious in dealing with them. The government is considering filing of
03:02 surgery cases against Amano and Castro. Bea Bernardo for the nation.
