Two Years Too Long: Surface Dexter Capuyan, Bazoo De Jesus, and all Desaparecidos!

Two years have passed since Dexter Capuyan, a Bontok-Ibaloi-Kankanaey, and Gene Roz Jamil "Bazoo" De Jesus, an Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocate, were abducted by individuals who identified themselves as Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) agents of the Philippine National Police. Their families continue to fight for justice against a state that remains indifferent to their suffering.

The disappearances of Dexter and Bazoo are not isolated incidents; they are part of a broader pattern of repression targeting Indigenous Peoples, activists, and land defenders who dare to resist exploitation, militarization, and state-sponsored violence. We have seen time and again that those who resist and speak out are met with harassment, arrests, killing, and enforced disappearances.

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas condemns the state forces for their involvement in the abduction of Dexter and Bazoo. The government’s silence and refusal to reveal their whereabouts reinforce the culture of impunity that endangers Indigenous activists and defenders. Enforced disappearance is a blatant act of terror, intended to instill fear and silence Indigenous activists and those who oppose the destruction of ancestral lands.

But we refuse to be silenced. We hold the state accountable for the disappearance of Dexter and Bazoo. No agency should be allowed to hide behind secrecy while families are left searching in agony.

The ongoing hearings for the Writs of Habeas Data and Amparo offer a critical opportunity to demand transparency and protection. We call on the Court to act swiftly and justly—and to compel the government to reveal the truth about Dexter and Bazoo.

However, justice cannot rely solely on legal processes. Indigenous communities, human rights defenders, and advocates must continue organizing, mobilizing, and demanding accountability. Justice for Dexter, Bazoo, Jonas, and all desaparecidos requires our collective strength.

The Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012 was created to prevent such crimes. Yet, in Dexter and Bazoo’s case, authorities have failed even to provide the required disappearance forms, proving that laws, without public pressure, are not enough.

Enforced disappearance is a crime against humanity. Dexter and Bazoo’s disappearance follows the same brutal pattern inflicted on Jonas Burgos, James Balao, Felix Salaveria, and many others. Each case is a wound kept open by silence and inaction.

As we mark the painful years since Dexter, Bazoo, and Jonas were taken, we renew our call: surface all desaparecidos! Their families deserve the truth. Their communities demand justice.

We call upon all the Indigenous Peoples, human rights defenders, and advocates to amplify the voices of the disappeared. Every moment without answers deepens the injustice they face. We will not stop fighting until every disappeared individual is returned and every perpetrator is held accountable.

Surface Dexter Capuyan, Bazoo De Jesus, James Balao, Jonas Burgos, Felix Salaveria, and all Desaparecidos! #

Reference: Beverly Longid, KATRIBU National Convener