v11n0203

“
I’m warning you
that if in case my
mother disappears,
I would be asking
for her whereabouts
from you.
”
- Ivy, daughter of
activist Aurelia Yray.
72
Story 24: Soldiers warns a labour leader not to join
protests
Victim: Aurelia Yray, 56, of Barangay Osmena, Compostela,
Compostela Valley; she works as a packer for Fresh Bananas
Agricultural Corporation (FBAC), a banana plantation company,
since 1994; she is the treasurer of Namaos-Naflu- KMU
Alleged perpetrators: Soldiers attached to the 66th IB-PA.
These soldiers are part of the Workers for Industrial Peace and
Economic Reform (Wiper). There were five to seven wearing
civilian clothes, armed with short firearms placed on their waste.
Date of incident: On 2 to 4 April 2009
Place of incident: Purok 5, Agibawa, Barangay Osmena
AHRC-UAC-068-2009
On 2 April 2009, Aurelia yray’s neighbour, Lilia Sereno, told
her that a member of wiper, composed of and organized by the
military on the pretext of promoting industrial peace, was looking
for her. Sereno told yray that the person wanted to speak to her.
They went to the home of yray’s daughter, Ivy, after learning that
she now lives with her. Ivy was shocked by the group’s presence
in their house.
Ivy asked them what her mother had done wrong. Ivy warned
the group: “Kung mawala akong mama, kamo ang pangitaan
nako sa akong inahan kay nailhan nako mo. (I’m warning you
that if in case my mother disappears, I would be asking for her
whereabouts from you because I know who you are). Ivy happened
to recognized one of them. Ivy was told not to worry because they
are not going to harm her mother. For lack of choice, Ivy told them
where her mother was working at the time at the area of Packing
Plant no. 253 of the banana plantation, the FBAC.
At 7pm that day, the group went to the packing plant looking
for Aurelia. The group, after waiting for an hour, left telling her
they would return to see her, not at her workplace but at the
home of her daughter. The group did return to Ivy’s house where
they again waited for Aurelia who was not at home because she
went out with her friends.
On April 4 at 4:30pm, however, the soldiers caught up on
Aurelia at the house of her sister in law, Flor. They did not
introduce who they were. They offered her some livelihood projects,
but when she refused, they then spoke to her about the activities
of her group, namaos. They were straight forward in informing
that she must disassociated with the Kmu because the Kmu is
one of the legal fronts, supporter of the CPP/nPA/nDF. Aurelia
was also told not to participate in protest for the Labour Day, may
1; for Bonifacio Day, 30 november and other demonstrations.
Aurelia is an active member of namaos. She sat as one of the
panelists when they were negotiating with the management for
their Collective Bargaining Agreement, which concluded on 15
September 2008.
article 2 � June-Sept 2012 Vol. 11, No. 2-3