OVERALL RESULTS
FIND’S SEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION WORK
November 1985 TO July 31, 2010
The commission of the global phenomenon of enforced or involuntary
disappearance remains unabated in the Philippines. Since involuntary
disappearance is not yet considered a crime under Philippine laws, the
15 cases filed in court by some families with the assistance of FIND are
lodged as kidnapping, murder or serious illegal detention or a
combination of the last two offenses. The case of the PICOP Six in
Trento, Agusan del Sur was favorably resolved on July 28, 2008 after
eight long years. FIND has also supported the filing of petitions for
writ of habeas corpus as well as petitions for writ of amparo by
families of recent victims. The anti-disappearance bills pending before
the Philippine Congress seek to define and penalize the act of
involuntary disappearance.
The search and documentation work of the Families of Victims of
Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) has yielded the following statistics.
Table 1. Statistics on disappearance in the Philippines by regime and case
status
As of July 31, 2010 there were
1785 1
cases of disappearance documented by FIND nationwide. Of these, 1,114 are
still missing, 418 surfaced alive and 253 were found dead. The Marcos regime
registered the highest number of disappearance cases with 860, followed by
Aquino with 612, Ramos with 87, Estrada with 58 and Arroyo with 168.
The top two sectoral groups that have the highest number of victims of
disappearance are the farmers group with 823 followed by the workers group with
259.
Of the total 81 exhumed remains
as of July 31, 2010, 47 disappeared during the Marcos regime, 26 during the
Aquino regime, and 8 during the Arroyo regime.
Forensic findings reveal that of the 81 exhumed victims, 95% suffered/died from
gunshot wounds.
Of the total 1,785 documented
cases of disappearance in the Philippines, 1,114 are still missing, 418 have
surfaced alive and 253 were found dead.
Majority of the victims of
disappearance fall on the age bracket 16-25 years old with 487 followed by age
bracket 26-35 years old with 414. 499 have no age record.
Note: The oldest victim documented is 73 years old, while the youngest is
a 2-month-old baby who was abducted along with his mother. The mother and child
reappeared after almost a year of secret detention.
The Armed Forces of the
Philippines (Army, Navy/Marines and the Air Force) registered the highest number
of involvement in disappearance cases with 1053 followed by the defunct PC/INP
with 225 and the Marcos paramilitary group ICHDF with 146.
(NOTE: The PC-INP later on was renamed Philippine National Police or PNP
in 1992. For documentation purposes, the cases involving the PC-INP are
separately listed from the cases involving the PNP).
The above acronyms refer to:
• PNP – Philippine
National Police
• CAFGU – Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit
• NBI – National Bureau of Investigation
• ICHDF – Integrated Civilian Home Defense Force
• PC – Philippine Constabulary
• INP – Integrated National Police
• AFP – Armed Forces of the Philippines
The years 1983 to 1985 recorded
the highest number of incidents of disappearance cases followed by years 1987 to
1989. 1983-1985 was the peak of the campaign against the Marcos dictatorship.
1987-1989 was the period of “total war policy” of the Aquino regime against
insurgents. There was a noticeable decline in the number of victims during the
administration of President Ramos. The trend was maintained at the earlier part
of President Estrada’s short tenure until he declared an all-out war against
terrorists, raising the number of victims to 58 in year 2000. With the
administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the total number of victims
FIND has documented has risen to 168 primarily due to her pronouncement of an
all-out-war against communist insurgents and terrorist.
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1
Of the 2,131 reported victims, only 1,785 have been documented due to various
reasons. Reports usually come from FIND members, contacts, network and media.