Metran advised Erlinda to look for Sherlyn in Army camps whose troops operate in Bulacan, where her daughter and Karen and Manuel were abducted. “Try the 56th IB,” said Metran, again without the slightest hint of irony. Erlinda, of course, had been to the 56th IB camp, as she had been to every other camp in Bulacan for the past year. The 56th IB also gained notoriety for being accused of abducting Jonas Burgos last April 2007 when the license plate of the van which took Burgos was traced to a vehicle impounded by the said unit.

Visit to a relative

Before going back to Manila, the group decided to pass by Bulacan to talk with Sherlyn’s mother-in-law. Sherlyn’s mother-in-law, whose name was withheld upon her request, informed Erlinda that Sherlyn visited her just recently. But she said she was not able to talk with Sherlyn. Sherlyn, who was then escorted by two men and two stern-looking women, told her that she was there just to get some clothes. Before leaving, one of the men escorting Sherlyn told her, “Don’t involve yourself in this. It will only get you into trouble.”

Since then, Sherlyn’s mother-in-law got regular visits from soldiers asking about Sherlyn’s husband. Neighbors observed the regular presence of suspicious-looking men near her house. Sherlyn’ mother-in-law fears for her safety, but nevertheless told Erlinda about the incident. “It bothers my conscience,” she said. “But I also fear for myself and my family.” She gave a sworn statement to Karapatan but still fears to come out publicly about the incident.

“I understand, of course, why you have to do this,” Erlinda told her daughter’s mother-in-law. “But you have to take extra precautions because the military knows for sure that you are talking with us.”

Hope and transformation

Erlinda and the group left Bulacan with renewed hope of finding Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel. But for Erlinda, it has now become much more than just finding her daughter.

Throughout the past year, she had not only been to army and police camps. She has also been joining rallies and prayer vigils, speaking at forums, talking to reporters, politicians and anybody who cared to listen.

Erlinda had to learn to speak in public about her daughter. She also came to understand the human rights situation in the country. Her life changed almost overnight. From being a small entrepreneur in Los Baños, Erlinda became a speaker for the cause of the desaparecidos (the disappeared). Although she initially did these things as part of her efforts to look for her daughter, now she has come to embrace human rights advocacy.

“I never imagined that my life will turn out this way, but I am here. I will continue my search for Sherlyn,” she said.

She and Connnie, Karen’s mother, knew that their daughters were volunteers for the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB or Alliance of Peasants in Bulacan). But they didn’t nor cared to know about their politics.

“While we were looking (for Sherlyn), I came to understand what activists are fighting for. They are not bad people. What they say are true and they do the work that the government fails to do in the countryside,” she explained. Contributed to (Bulatlat.com)

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