Court junks mom's petition to get daughters out of Army custody
AMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV
07/16/2008 | 01:34 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals has junked the petition for writ of habeas corpus filed by Maria Gumanoy after one of her daughters denied that they were abducted by the military, radio dzBB reported Wednesday.
Radio dzBB's Teresa Tavares reported that Fatima Gumanoy, 17, told the CA justices that she voluntarily went to the Fort Bonifacio Hospital to accompany her sister, Rose Ann, who was seeking treatment.
The report said Rose Ann, 21, was wounded in an encounter between government troops and suspected communist insurgents in Quezon province sometime April this year.
The report said Fatima also denied that she was prevented by the military to go out of the premises of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
It added that the Gumanoy family, particularly Maria, was devastated after her daughter refused to go with her after the hearing.
Maria filed the petition for writ of habeas corpus last week in a bid to compel military officials to produce her daughters.
Maria is the wife of peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy who was killed in April 2003 long with human rights activist Eden Marcella. Fatima and Rose Ann are Edie and Maria's daughters.
The military had claimed that the two girls willingly and obligingly sought custody of the AFP to distance themselves from Karapatan, a local human rights group.
The two girls’ mother and Karapatan, on the other hand, claimed that the Gumanoy sisters are under duress when they were held under the custody of the AFP.
Rose and Fatima were reported missing on the morning of July 3, 2008 after they set out to meet their mother Maria in a mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa, south of Manila.
They failed to reach their destination and instead sent an SMS (short message system) to their mother that they have been taken by soldiers.
Mrs Gumanoy immediately sought the help of Karapatan-Southern Tagalog (ST) to search for her daughters.
On July 4, Karapatan sent a team to the office of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp).
The Isafp denied that the military had custody of Rose Anne and Fatima.
The team also reported the incident and filed a police blotter report before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (CIDG-PNP) in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
In the afternoon of the same day, Armed Forces information chief Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres issued a statement denying the abduction of the Gumanoy sisters.
Torres, however, admitted that the two women were with them but refused to reveal their whereabouts.
The military said that Rose Anne had sought voluntary custody because they were afraid of Karapatan.
In the briefing arranged by the Philippine Army last week, Rose Ann said she voluntarily went to the company of the military last July 3 so that her sister Fatima would be given proper medical attention for German measles. - GMANews.TV
Radio dzBB's Teresa Tavares reported that Fatima Gumanoy, 17, told the CA justices that she voluntarily went to the Fort Bonifacio Hospital to accompany her sister, Rose Ann, who was seeking treatment.
The report said Rose Ann, 21, was wounded in an encounter between government troops and suspected communist insurgents in Quezon province sometime April this year.
The report said Fatima also denied that she was prevented by the military to go out of the premises of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
It added that the Gumanoy family, particularly Maria, was devastated after her daughter refused to go with her after the hearing.
Maria filed the petition for writ of habeas corpus last week in a bid to compel military officials to produce her daughters.
Maria is the wife of peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy who was killed in April 2003 long with human rights activist Eden Marcella. Fatima and Rose Ann are Edie and Maria's daughters.
The military had claimed that the two girls willingly and obligingly sought custody of the AFP to distance themselves from Karapatan, a local human rights group.
The two girls’ mother and Karapatan, on the other hand, claimed that the Gumanoy sisters are under duress when they were held under the custody of the AFP.
Rose and Fatima were reported missing on the morning of July 3, 2008 after they set out to meet their mother Maria in a mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa, south of Manila.
They failed to reach their destination and instead sent an SMS (short message system) to their mother that they have been taken by soldiers.
Mrs Gumanoy immediately sought the help of Karapatan-Southern Tagalog (ST) to search for her daughters.
On July 4, Karapatan sent a team to the office of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp).
The Isafp denied that the military had custody of Rose Anne and Fatima.
The team also reported the incident and filed a police blotter report before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (CIDG-PNP) in Camp Crame in Quezon City.
In the afternoon of the same day, Armed Forces information chief Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres issued a statement denying the abduction of the Gumanoy sisters.
Torres, however, admitted that the two women were with them but refused to reveal their whereabouts.
The military said that Rose Anne had sought voluntary custody because they were afraid of Karapatan.
In the briefing arranged by the Philippine Army last week, Rose Ann said she voluntarily went to the company of the military last July 3 so that her sister Fatima would be given proper medical attention for German measles. - GMANews.TV
