On May 19th, Melissa C. Roxas was abducted along with two Filipino companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Jandoc from a house, in La Paz, Tarlac, Philippines. Roxas and her companions were taken by suspected elements of the Philippine Armed Forces, who accused them of being members of New People's Army, the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines.

In Melissa Roxas' affidavit, she recounts in detail the physical and mental torture and the denial of her other human rights during her captivity from May 19 to May 25. John Edward Jandoc is still being held captive.

Melissa Roxas is a well known community and cultural activist and human rights advocate. She is a member of the cultural group Habi-Arts and of BAYAN-USA, the progressive alliance of Filipino organizations in the U.S. She was in the Philippines to gather materials for her writing project and to help Bayan-Tarlac members conduct a survey in their area for a future medical mission.

Read more | U.S.-Trained and Funded Philippine Military Implicated in Abduction | CANADA-PHILIPPINES SOLIDARITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - Justice for Melissa Roxas and Juanito Carabeo! Surface John Edward Jandoc! | The Philippines Matrix Project