BAGUIO CITY—Two years after the abduction of Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus, their names still echo across the mountains of Cordillera and remain in the hearts and minds of those who shall never forget.

At the 41st People’s Cordillera Day, the call to surface Dexter and Bazoo resounded through poetry, song, and collective memory—a call carried by loved ones and communities determined to bring them home. 

On April 24, the first day of Cordillera Day, a commemoration marking the second year since the enforced disappearance of Dexter and Bazoo was held. It was led by representatives of Task Force Surface Dexter and Bazoo, including Chuwaley, Dexter’s daughter. 

In her speech, Chuwaley recalled that on April 28, 2023, her father and Bazoo were abducted in Taytay, Rizal by individuals who identified themselves as agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. 

“It’s been almost two years since we’ve been searching for them,” she said in Filipino, adding that Bazoo was a volunteer in the 2023 People’s Cordillera Day. He was forcibly disappeared just days after. She observed that April 24, the first day of this year’s People’s Cordillera Day, also marked Bazoo’s birthday.

Chuwaley reminded the crowd that the search continues—now with a writ of amparo filed at the Court of Appeals.

The speech was followed by a song, a Dania Reyes composition based on a poem by Chuwaley, interwoven with the haunting verses of “Sonata ng Isang Ina,”a mother’s lament penned by Bazoo’s mother Dittz.

“Anak, kung saan ka man
sa hukay o sa kulungan
pilit kitang hahanapin, 
sa abot ng kaya ay gagawin.” 

(My child, wherever you may be—
On a grave or behind bars
I will search for you relentlessly
And do all I can, as far as I can go.)

(Excerpt from the poem, Sonata ng Isang Ina by Dittz de Jesus, mother of desaparecido Bazoo de Jesus)

The words and melody fused into a single act of defiance. Pain became protest. Grief became a weapon.

Following the commemoration, the Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera led a tribute to the heroes and martyrs of the Cordillera people’s movement. Through cultural performances and a presentation of names and faces, the community recognized those who offered their lives in the struggle for self-determination and genuine change.

Capuyan and de Jesus, like those honored in the tribute, are remembered as ‘Anak ng Kordilyera’ (Children of Cordillera). Their lives are a testament to a shared legacy of resistance. (RTS, DAA)