Dyan Gumanao & Armand Dayoha
On January 10 2023, 28-year-old development worker Dyan Gumanao and 27-year-old labor rights activist Armand Dayoha were forcibly abducted by alleged state security forces in broad daylight in Cebu City. The two were reported missing by their families on January 13 as they haven’t heard from them. A video of the incident was shared with the victims’ families by a concerned citizen after the news of the missing activists circulated online. It shows that multiple witnesses observed the two being forced into a vehicle by men in plainclothes inside the Cebu City port.
Presumably, strong public pressure and the joint efforts of various organisations contributed to the release of Gumanao and Dayoha on the morning of January 16, 2023 in Carmen Town, North Cebu. Both were found physically unharmed but traumatized. The human rights defenders stated that the abductors had identified as police officers. They also said that they were blindfolded, held incommunicado and interrogated separately. The abductors tried to force them to sign an affidavit confessing their membership of the armed communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA).
Dyan Gumanao is a long-term staff and coordinator at Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. (CERNET), a partner organization of one of AMP’s members. She is also a volunteer for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers. Her partner, Armand Dayoha, is a labor rights organizer of Alyansa sa Mamumuo sa Sugbo (AMA Sugbo) and coordinator of the Alliance of Health Workers. Dayoha also works as a capacity building program coordinator at Visayas Human Development Agency, Inc. (VIHDA), an AMP member’s partner organization.
Prior to their abduction both have experienced surveillance, harassment, and threats from security forces. The AMP has repeatedly highlighted the Philippine government’s crackdown on human rights defenders, development workers, journalists, unionists, and church workers under the guise of fighting terrorist groups. Over the years, security forces accused CERNET of being a front organization of the communist insurgency in the Philippines without providing evidence. This practice, often called red-tagging, aims to delegitimize the work of organizations fighting for the promotion of human rights, justice, environmental protection, and peace. VIHDA’s employees were also repeatedly red-tagged and threatened by security forces.
The abduction of Gumanao and Dayoha is yet another incident which sheds light on the severe situation of human rights defenders in the Philippines and the failure of the Philippine government to protect them from threats, harassment, vilifications, enforced disappearances, and killings.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) denies involvement in the incident. The national Commission on Human Rights (CHR)’s investigation was able to identify the name of a person and a motorbike involved in the abduction from CCTV footage, which could be attributed to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP). The CHR began sending subpoenas to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in July 2023. In November 2023, the person concerned submitted an affidavit denying any involvement. At a hearing on December 18, 2023, the AFP’s legal department sent a response to the CHR requesting clarifying questions. The CHR can now submit a final report with a recommendation or file a complaint (if it believes there is a sufficient basis for doing so). No criminal charges have yet been filed.
Download (PDF): AMP-Statement: Abduction of Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha
Update: June 24, 2024