Estan Cabigas, Philippines
Coping with a Desaparecido

According to the United Nations, forced disappearance is:
“..an act committed when the person is arrested, detained or abducted against his/her will or otherwise deprived of his/her liberty by officials or employees of any branch... or instrumentality of Government, or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the Government, and who subsequently disappeared for at least 48 hours. These forces then conceal the whereabouts of the disappeared or refuse to disclose his/her fate or to acknowledge that he/she was detained, thus placing such person outside the protection of the laws.”

Desaparecidos, or “The Disappeared” first came to be known in late 1966 in Latin America, continued by the different military coups on that continent from the 70s to 80s. It is a lingering issue in 60 other countries. In the Philippines, it has gained significant prominence during the Marcos Presidency from 1972 – 1986. Fast forward to the current term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - her government has been hounded with human rights violations and forced disappearances tied with military operations against communist rebels. The majority of victims have ties to the Left. According to the human rights group KARAPATAN, from 2001 – 2007, there were about 200 such victims.

Abner Hizarsa, 55, has a heart ailment and has retired from the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the National Democratic Front. According to a lone witness, at noon on March 22, 2007, while on his way to bring lunch to his daughter at the local elementary school, Abner was forced into a waiting van that then sped away. From that time to the present, there has been no news about his whereabouts. For the Hizarsa family, it’s a desperate time of waiting and hoping for his return.