A Quick Response Team (QRT) of Karapatan-Bicol went to Labo, Camarines Norte on September 6 to immediately investigate the reported military raid on a farmer’s house and the abduction of peasant organizer Faye Tallow. The victim was abducted in Barangay Malibago on September 4.

The team got confirmation from the Labo local government that 16th IB soldiers raided the house and abducted Tallow. They also found out that Tallow was detained for more than 24 hours in its military camp and the battalion did not coordinate with the local government regarding the operation.

“Witnesses testified that the 16th IB did not present an arrest warrant. A soldiers’ companion said that this was not required for a ‘surrenderee’ since she was previously their comrade,” Karapatan-Bicol stated.

After this, the group learned that the soldiers had allegedly transferred Tallow to the police station in Lopez, Quezon. According to the 201st IBde, Tallow, who they identified as alias “Ka Nadia” through statements of “former rebels,” was involved in a frustrated murder case in Lopez. This relates to their accusation that Tallow is a New People’s Army (NPA) member.

With the cooperation of Tanggol Quezon, Karapatan-Bicol discovered that Tallow was not in the Lopez Municipal Police Station (MPS). They only found out that the Labo, Camarines Norte police, personnel of the Special Action Force, the Philippine Navy, and the notorious 201st IBde officer Sgt. Johnatan Vender went to the station. Through persistence, the groups obtained new information that Tallow had been transferred to Gumaca MPS.

“This AFP and PNP tactic clearly aims to hide the whereabouts of Tallow to prevent her from meeting with her paralegals and from being given her right to legal services,” Karapatan-Bicol stated.

In the latest update of Tanggol Quezon, officers of Gumaca MPS refused to face the group and answer their questions. Only the local police personnel spoke with them but also refused to certify the document stating that Tallow was not in their custody.

Karapatan-Bicol and Tanggol Quezon called for Tallow to be presented to them, as they are worried about her safety. They said that, as in many instances in the past, the military is surely subjecting Tallow to intense psywar and torture.

Since Karapatan-Bicol first reported Tallow’s abduction, youth groups and student councils from the University of the Philippines (UP) have been issuing statements demanding for her to be surfaced and released.

Tallow was a former student of the College of Media and Communication (CMC, formerly College of Mass Communication) at UP-Diliman. She served as chairperson of the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights (STAND) UP-CMC.