This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VII, No. 11, April 22-28, 2007
ELECTION WATCH As
the election nears, the harassment of progressive party-list members is
intensifying. Last April 18, a University of the Philippines- Diliman
(UPD) student and Kabataan (Youth) Party-list member was almost abducted on her
way home to Quezon City. The police declared it a robbery. But the
Kabataan Party-list said it is an “attempt by the Arroyo government to rob the
youth of their voice in Congress.” BY
ZOFIA LEAL As the election nears, the
harassment of progressive party-list members is intensifying. Last April
18, a University of the Philippines- Diliman (UPD) student and Kabataan (Youth)
Party-list member who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons was almost
abducted on her way home to Quezon City. At 12:30 a.m., after
getting off the tricycle she was riding, she noticed that a car was following
her. She then changed direction and walked along a parallel street but the
car still followed her. When she realized that the
street she was on was dark she tried to go back but the car was already headed
towards her. A man then tried to pull her into the car but she struggled.
A second man also tried to shove her inside the car. She saw that there
were four men in the car. The scene caught the attention of the tricycle
drivers nearby.
As the tricycle drivers
were approaching she heard a man inside the car say, “Pare, yung cellphone na
lang” (Just get the cellphone). She then took her cellphone and threw
it inside the car. The car immediately left. The incident lasted
about 15 minutes. The tricycle drivers then
assisted her and brought her to the police station. The police report
stated that what happened was a robbery since they took her cellphone. Johanna Urbiztondo, UPD
Kabataan Partylist Spokesperson said that the incident cannot be a robbery since
the suspects were in a car. Urbiztondo further stated that it would not be
logical for four men inside a car to follow someone just to rob her cellphone.
“It is a clear case of political harassment. The incident is very similar
to recent abduction cases against progressive party-list members”, Urbiztondo
added. “Since the victim is a
known active member of Kabataan Party-list, this is an attempt to threaten our
members and weaken the machinery of our party-list. Sa totoo lang,
gusto nilang nakawin ang pagkakataon ng kabataan na magkaroon ng boses sa loob
ng Kongreso. (What they really want to do is to rob the youth of their
voice inside Congress). This incident is a manifestation of a systematic plan of
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her minions to paralyze her critics and
prevent them from having a seat in the government,” said Urbiztondo. Urbiztondo then cited other
cases of harassment against Kabataan party-list members in other regions.
According to Urbiztondo, “In Cebu, Kabataan Party-list coordinator Beethoven
Avila, together with Preciousa Daño, a Bayan Muna (People First) coordinator,
were subjected to psychological torture after they were forced inside a gray
Delica van. In La Union, military vehicles parked outside their
headquarters and even took pictures.” Urbiztondo stressed that
the military and the government’s efforts to frighten Kabataan Party-list
members are not succeeding. “What they are doing is only making us
stronger and firmer in our resolve to win in this election to give a voice to
the needs of the youth and the people.” Bulatlat © 2007 Bulatlat
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Kabataan Party-list Member Foils Abduction Attempt
Bulatlat