Last Seen:

June 10, 1985

Manila
Venerando Villacillo, a businessman, was forcibly abducted by five armed men in front of his residence on June 10, 1985, at around 8:20 pm. Villacillo was arrested without any warrant and was immediately pushed inside the waiting Mitsubishi car with a plate No. of 418 while the two other gun-wielding men positioned themselves between him.

Villacillo was an active student leader and a figure in the Mindanao student front in the early 70s, and his parents suspect this background has led the military to tag him as an NPA commander. Villacillo has, however, been in Manila since starting studies at the Philippine College of Criminology (PCC).

Mrs. Susana Ybañez, maternal aunt of Venerando, tried to follow up on her nephew's arrest last June 12, 1985, at the following offices: Constabulary Security Group at Camp Crame and Metrocom Intelligence Security Group at Camp Bicutan; both officers on duty denied having him in custody.

The next day, June 13, 1985, Mrs. Ybañez once again made representations at the Central Intelligence Section about her missing nephew but was told to check with other military offices without specifying which offices.

Mrs. Thelma Reston Villacillo, Venerando's sister-in-law, made the follow-ups last June 17 at various offices: CIS, Camp Crame; CSG and Philippine Constabulary Operations Center. All officers on duty again denied having his existence in the camps.

Last June 19, Venerando's parents, coming from Iligan, made a desperate move and wrote a letter of appeal to Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos, AFP Chief of Staff, since Venerando's legal and human rights have been grossly violated.

On June 25, 1985, a petition for a writ of habeas corpus of Venerando Villacillo was filed with the Supreme Court by the parents through their legal counsel, Atty. Fely Aquino with Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos, and Colonel Rolando Abadilla as respondents to enjoin the military authorities to surface the bodily presence of Villacillo and to further express the reasons for illegal and arbitrary detention.

details about their circumstances.