THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) intends to bring perjury charges against two witnesses who recently turned against the government during a press conference.
“The situation was conveyed directly from the mouths of our victims, Mr. Speaker, when they signed the affidavit,” Rep. Raoul Manuel, Kabataan Party-list said.
“Mr. Speaker, it also came from the father of one of those girls who voluntarily surrendered,” Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, Budget Sponsor of the Department of National Defense said.
This is the exchange in the plenary session regarding the issue of two young activists who flipped their stance against the government.
The issue of Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamanong was discussed during the plenary hearing for the 2024 proposed budget of the Department of National Defense (DND) and its attached agencies.
These two young activists had accused the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of abducting them during a press conference.
However, the AFP clarified that the two changed their statements at the last minute, damaging the government’s reputation.
As a result, the AFP plans to file perjury charges against them.
“The two voluntarily surrendered were sworn voluntarily to a public attorney’s office, and many witnesses were present when they surrendered. Now, they suddenly flipped [their statements]. So, we are looking at the possibility of filing perjury charges against them,” according to Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, Department of National Defense.
Sec. Teodoro also mentioned that lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office and the parents of the two activists were present when they signed sworn statements detailing their surrender to the government.
He noted that PAO Chief Persida Acosta was also present, making it improbable for any coercion by the military.
“Even Chief Public Attorney Atty. Acosta was there. And she made sure that no coercion happened. The stepfather of one of the girls was also there and asked his stepdaughter if she wanted private counsel, and she said she didn’t. Then suddenly, she changed her stance,” Teodoro added.
According to legal expert Mark Tolentino, perjury is a serious charge, especially when brought by the government. The Defense Department has promised to file the case as soon as possible.
“Perjury means you are testifying under oath. It means you are making affidavits, judicial affidavits, or any statement under oath. A notary public notarizes these documents,” according to Atty. Mark Tolentino, Law Expert.
“The recourse here is to file a perjury case, and then they can prove the truth. We believe that the evidence firmly supports the Armed Forces,” Teodoro said.
The two could face imprisonment for six to ten years on perjury charges if found guilty.
The Defense Department also issued a warning to those deceiving the government.
“I want to know who is behind this deception so that subornation of perjury charges and others can be filed as a lesson that these individuals cannot deceive the people through such tactics,” Teodoro said.
