Writ of Amparo a victory for missing IP rights defenders; Katribu calls for justice and accountability

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas welcomes the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) granting a Writ of Amparo to activists Dexter Capuyan, a Bontok-Ibaloi-Kankanaey, and Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” de Jesus, a dedicated Indigenous Peoples’ rights defender.

In its decision dated August 12, 2025, the Sixteenth Division of the Court of Appeals granted the protective writ in favor of the families of Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus, issuing a permanent protection order for them. The court also directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to conduct an immediate and comprehensive investigation, noting that these state security forces had previously failed to do so.This ruling affirms what we and their families have asserted from the very beginning: Dexter and Bazoo are victims of enforced disappearance, targeted because of their activism and steadfast defense of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

The CA’s decision recognizing this case as an enforced disappearance is a significant step in affirming the truth. Search teams established that Dexter and Bazoo were last seen in the custody of men who were identified as agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), directly contradicting the denials issued by the PNP and AFP.

As one of the leads in the search for Dexter and Bazoo, Katribu underscores the account of the tricycle driver who had them as passengers on the evening of April 29, 2023, and was the last known witness to their abduction in Taytay, Rizal. Yet despite the weight of this crucial testimony, the Philippine National Police (PNP) not only failed to act on it but has willfully obstructed the search by not conducting any meaningful investigation. This further strengthens that state forces are behind the abduction and enforced disappearance of Dexter and Bazoo, given their capacity, resources, and the coordinated operations characteristic of state security units.

The abduction of Dexter and Bazoo is not an isolated incident, but part of a disturbing and intensifying pattern of attacks, harassment, and criminalization against Indigenous leaders, rights defenders, and activists under the Marcos Jr. administration. The disappearance of these two activists, along with other desaparecidos, exposes the continuing climate of impunity in the country.

Katribu stands with the families of Dexter and Bazoo in demanding their immediate surfacing and holding all perpetrators accountable. We strongly urge the Bongbong Marcos administration to comply with its obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and end the targeting of human rights defenders.

The CA’s ruling is not just a legal victory. It is an undeniable acknowledgment that enforced disappearances are real, ongoing, and state-perpetrated. More than this, it helps break the prevailing impunity and should serve as a deterrent against state security forces from committing such crimes, especially against Indigenous Peoples' human rights defenders. It should compel authorities to admit accountability and immediately surface Dexter and Bazoo. Until then, we will continue to amplify the call: Surface Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus! Stop enforced disappearances! Defend Indigenous Peoples’ rights defenders! #

Reference:

Beverly L. Longid

National Convener

Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas