Farmers group organizer abducted from Cebu home

Rambo Talabong

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Farmers group organizer abducted from Cebu home
Elena Tijamo is taken from her Bantayan, Cebu home by 4 men and 2 women reportedly carrying rifles and pistols

MANILA, Philippines – A farmers group community organizer in Cebu was abducted by armed intruders on Saturday evening, June 13, and has yet to be seen.

In a statement, human rights group Karapatan said Elena “Lina” Tijamo, a program coordinator at Farmers Development Center Central Visayas (Fardec), was taken forcibly from her own home in Sitio Avocado, Brgy. Kampingganon in Bantayan town, Cebu.

“According to initial reports by Karapatan Central Visayas at around 10:56 pm, 2 women and 4 men in civilian clothes and face masks took Ate Lina while covering her mouth with masking tape,” the rights group said.

Tijamo was with her sister, who tried to prevent the intruders but failed. Karapatan said the abductors carried pistols and rifles and appeared to be between 40 and 50 years old.

Prior to the abduction, Tijamo’s group, Fardec, was among the longtime humanitarian and religious organizations that were included in a recent red-tagging spree of the Philippine military. Fardec and the other groups denied the accusation.

In an earlier e-mail to Rappler, Fardec Central Visayas executive director Patrick Torres explained Fardec is a non-governmental organization that has been helping farmers’ groups in Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental – from educating them about their rights to promoting climate-resilient sustainable agriculture. – Rappler.com

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Rambo Talabong

Rambo Talabong covers the House of Representatives and local governments for Rappler. Prior to this, he covered security and crime. He was named Jaime V. Ongpin Fellow in 2019 for his reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2021, he was selected as a journalism fellow by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics.