International Day
of the Disappeared

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

August 30 marks the International Day of the Disappeared, the commemoration of a day designated to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to relatives and/or legal representatives.

What makes this day significant for us Filipinos is the growing issue of the "Dissappeared" or "Desparecidos", as highlighted by the plight of Jonas Burgos who was plucked from a mall by armed men in broad daylight last April 28. There is no human right violation more grave than a forced disappearance.

The disappeared are often taken without the benefit of due process, and are usually presumed to be dead, with maltreatment and torture almost always assumed to have been committed before the execution and the covert disposal of the remains. Remaining family members and loved ones do not have any form of closure, always clinging to the tiniest of hopes that, without a dead body, the disappeared may yet be alive.

Any country where people routinely disappear cannot consider itself as truly free and democratic. The fact that our own armed forces have been linked by a license plate to the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, coupled by their perceived lack of cooperation in the investigation, has led many to believe that our government is a party to this crime against humanity. Even if it were not, and the communists were indeed conducting an internal purge as claimed by the military, it is still the responsibility of our government to protect its people, regardless of political affiliation or color.

Let the worldwide celebration of the International Day of the Disappeared be a sharp reminder to the supposedly strong leader of our nation that she is not supposed to tolerate this inhuman practice. Not by the abusive military officials she may feel indebted to, nor by the communist rebels she is supposedly fighting against. Supporting a renewed and committed effort at getting to the bottom of the Jonas Burgos disappearance, along with all the other cases of disappearances in this country, will be appreciated not just by human rights activists, but by all lovers of freedom as well.*