The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) categorically rejects and dismisses the baseless insinuations made by the Philippine National Police (PNP) a few days ago that the abduction and disappearance of two activists in Tabaco, Albay last August are part of an imaginary “purging” in the New People’s Army.

The regional director of the PNP in Bicol is attempting to cover-up the role of agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP itself in perpetrating this cowardly crime. These also reveal that the police are not taking this case seriously and are not following up on evidence that has already been made public (like tracing the direction and destination of the vehicle used in the abduction).

The abduction of James Jazmines on August 23, and Felix Salaveria five days later in Tabaco, Albay are part of the growing number of enforced disappearances since Marcos came to power in 2022. In just over two years, at least 153 activists and revolutionaries were abducted or unlawfully arrested by military and police agents across the country. Of these, 43 remain missing, including Jazmines and Salaveria.

Testimonies of those who have survived show that the aim of state agents in carrying out these abductions and disappearance is to force their victims to turn their backs on their principles and force them to “surrender,” or face the consequence of torture and death. The military and police have confirmed this by publicly presenting some of the victims as having “surrendered” to them.

The PNP is trying to deflect attention from these glaring facts by pointing a finger at the CPP and NPA for the recent case in Tabaco, Albay.

We hold the AFP and PNP responsible for the abduction and disappearance of Jazmines and Salaveria. They are known to their friends and colleagues as dedicated to the national democratic cause and aspirations of the oppressed and exploited classes and sectors of the Filipino people.

We join their relatives, friends and loved ones of James Jazmines and Felix Salaveria in demanding that the military and police immediately surface them. We express our solidarity in their search. We call on military and police agents who still have a sense of decency and justice to reveal information that will lead to the resolution of this dastardly crime.