Families and human rights defenders remembered those who were disappeared for years through poems, songs, dances and other cultural performances in Palma hall of the University of the Philippines-Diliman – the home school of two students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

This was the first time families of desaparecidos commemorated the International Day of the Disappeared with a Philippine law that criminalizes enforced disappearances.

But for the organization, Families of the Desaparecidos for Justice (Desaparecidos), there is nothing to celebrate as they keep searching for their loved ones.

“For years, we keep commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared to remember all the desaparecidos in the world and to call to stop enforced disappearances. Regimes had passed, but enforced disappearance still exist while our missing loved ones have yet to be found,” said Lorena Santos, secretary general of Desaparecidos.

Santos is the daughter of Leo Velasco, a consultant of the National Democratic Front who was allegedly abducted by military agents in Cagayan de Oro in 2007.

“We, families of desaparecidos, have nothing to celebrate about,” said Santos, as she slammed Aquino government’s inaction to solve cases of enforced disappearances despite the newly enacted law.

The group said that since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, there have been 1,896 missing victims, with 17 victims missing under the current administration.

The recent case of disappearance was that  of Bryan Epa of Nueva Vizcaya, an anti-mining activist, who was allegedly abducted by Nueva Vizcaya police on August 21, 2013.

Santos charged that law itself will not stop enforced disappearances, much less surface the disappeared.

“This law has so far served only as a mere token to appease our outrage; but nothing has really changed since its enactment,” Santos said.

Kid gloves for Napoles, rights violators

The group also criticized President Aquino, who provided special treatment for pork barrel scam suspect Janet Lim Napoles, while dillydallying with prosecution of military officials involved in cases of abduction and enforced disappearances.

The group cited the case of fugitive ex-general Jovito Palparan who had a warrant of arrest since 2011 and a 2 million bounty.

“It’s like looking for a needle in the middle of the sea, because the government does not help us,” said a frustrated Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn.

Recently, the court denied the petition for bail of Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio who are in military custody, but Palparan remains at large.

The group insisted that families are the ones’ pursuing cases filed against perpetrators, Mrs Editha Burgos mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos recounted their tedious quest for justice.

After a lengthy court hearing, the Court of Appeals on May ruled that the military and the police should be held accountable for the enforced disappearance Jonas in 2007.

The Burgos family also recently filed another motion urging the Supreme Court to re-investigate the case after the family obtained new evidences regarding the abduction of Jonas. “The high court still silent, only ordered security for us,” Burgos said.

Burgos asked the public to help in their advocacy for justice, as she lauded the efforts of lawyers and human rights organizations in giving assistance to the families of the disappeared.

“If they did not help us, we might never stop crying,” she said.

“The fire in the hearts of each yearning mother, daughter or son, wife or husband for justice will never die. The search for justice will not stop, until enforced disappearance is ended,” Santos added.