It is the agony the family of Jonas Burgos continues to endure: The fate and whereabouts of this young man remain unknown despite the tireless search and determined efforts of his mother, Edita T. Burgos, to locate him. Jonas was abducted on May 28, 2007, in a Quezon City mall reportedly by military men.
The good news is that Edita Burgos is determined to see justice done. She has been indefatigable in the pursuit of it despite the humongous obstacles that have been put in her path.
President Aquino sent mixed signals to victims of human rights violations in promoting Army colonel Eduardo Año to brigadier general and appointing him head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp). Año, along with 45 other military officials, is facing charges in connection with the 2007 abduction of activist Jonas Burgos. The case is still undergoing preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice after more than a year, and Burgos remains missing.
The mother of desaperacido Jonas Burgos marked over the weekend the fifth anniversary of his disappearance, but with scaled-down expectation of finding him still alive. In terms both poignant and bitter, Edita Burgos has virtually admitted that prospects have dimmed for her ever finding her son alive, so she has braced herself for the truth. “My standards have gone down through the years,” she said. “Whereas before, I’d say ‘Give him back to me alive and well, and let justice be served,’ now I just want to find out what really happened. Because if I find out the truth, I’ll also find him.”
Edita Burgos is going to court. There is a ruffle of white lace at her throat. The cap of dark hair is the same, the black jacket and fading slacks the same. She sits quietly, smiling and nodding at the newcomers who come to offer their support. She has the complaint in a folder, along [...]
