At around 10:30 in the morning of February 19, 2007, Leo Velasco, 54 was abducted in Cagayan de Oro City. Witnesses said men took him and forced him inside a Mitsubishi L300 van, which then sped away, leaving only his eyeglasses behind.

Since then her daughter Aya has been at the forefront of the search for her father and the campaign against enforced disappearances.

A human rights activist, Aya knows the issue of enforced disappearances by heart. Prior to the abduction of her father, she has been assisting the families of the “disappeared”,  accompanying them to court hearings, preparing the case reports and doing media work to ensure that the issue remains in the realm of public consciousness.

With the abduction of her father, Aya’s search has become more personal.

Aya’s mother Elizabeth Prinsipe met the same fate when she was abducted by eight armed men in Araneta Center, Cubao. She surfaced four days later and was accused of conspiring with Sen. Trillanes in his failed attempt to out President Arroyo.

(2007)