The Families of Desaparecidos for Justice (DESAPARECIDOS) condemned the disappearance of Jonas Joseph Burgos and Melisa Reyes, on April 28, in Quezon City.
Burgos, or Jay-Jay, 38, son of press freedom icon Jose “Joe” Burgos Jr., failed to come home to his family in Tandang Sora, Quezon City on April 28. His anxious family tried to contact him through his cellphone the whole night, but it was only at 10:46 AM the next day that they received messages from him which did not make any sense. His family was still able to talk to
him on the phone but his voice sounded drowsy and his words did not make sense as if he were drugged.
It was learned that Melisa Reyes, and a still to be identified male companion of Jayjay also failed to come home on the evening of April 28.
Burgos had been giving agri technology trainings to members of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB), a provincial chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.
“This is a brazen act which only state security forces will have the motive and gall to carry out. It’s ironic that it happened to a member of the Burgos family that had opposed and survived Martial Law and still continues to defend civil rights and press freedom,” said Ghay Portajada, spokesperson of Desaparecidos.
Portajada also noted that Jay-jay’s disappearance happened, not in a remote village in the countrysides, but here in Quezon City where there is much presence of both police and military elements.
“We call on the responsible elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to surface Jay-jay and his companions. We dare the Arroyo administration to solve this disappearance, and use all possible resources and technologies to locate Jay-jay, whose phone is still active and could actually be tracked,” said Portajada.
“We pray that Jay-jay and his companions will be surfaced alive, just like urban poor leader Lourdes ‘Nay Ude’ Rubrico, who was abducted, detained and released by intelligence agents for one week at the Fernando Basa Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas”.