Progressive groups from Southern Tagalog (ST) trooped to the Office of the Ombudsman on July 29 to condemn the Ombudsman’s decision to dismiss the civil and administrative cases filed by Hailey Pecayo and Jpeg Garcia against 59th IB officers. The case was filed on July 19, 2024 after the soldiers’ complaints, filed using the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), were proven fabricated and lacked sufficient evidence.
Authorities previously filed five fabricated cases against Pecayo in July 2023, involving two counts of violations of the ATA, attempted murder, and two counts of violations of international humanitarian law. The 59th IB officers Sgt. Jean Claude Bajaro and Cpl. Ivan Neil Ogatis filed these charges with the City Prosecutor’s Office of Santa Rosa, Laguna. They are also persistently linked Pecayo to the revolutionary armed movement.
Authorities also filed ATA violation charges against John Peter Garcia, Ken Rementilla, and Jasmin Rubia after they visited the wake of Kyllene Casao. These cases were dismissed in November 2023 for lack of evidence.
Authorities charged Pecayo after she exposed the military’s role in the killing of 9-year-old Casao in Taysan, Batangas in 2022. Pecayo serves as the current spokesperson of Tanggol Batangan, a group of human rights defenders in Batangas.
