CABANATUAN CITY— The daughters of two women, who were arrested in a Nueva Ecija town on Oct. 13 for allegedly being members of the New People’s Army (NPA), are asking government to release them.
The military said Eulalia Ladesma and Yolanda Diamsay were arrested along with youth organizers Rachel Galario and Elaine Edzel Emocling for allegedly doing recruitment and propaganda work at Rizal town in Nueva Ecija province. They were also charged for illegal possession of weapons and grenades.
Various groups, like the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL), said Ladesma and Diamsay were community organizers. Galario and Emocling were released on bail on Oct. 16 after being charged with illegal gun possession. But Ladesma and Diamsay remained under detention because they were charged with illegal possession of explosives, which is a non-bailable.
Ladesma’s daughter Michelle, a senior education student at the Araullo University here, and Diamsay’s daughter, Nicole, a freshman enrolled in a development communication course at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), made their appeal at a news conference on Wednesday (Oct. 17).
“Napakasakit ng ginawa nila sa aming mga ina. Hindi ko nakikitang masama ang ginagawa nila. Tumutulong sila sa mga magsasaka para umangat ang kanila kabuhayan at maayos ang problema sa lupa (What they have done to our mothers pains us. They were out there teaching farmers how to uplift their lives and to solve their land problems),” said Michelle.
Contrary to the military’s report, AMGL said the four women were arrested in the Nueva Ecija town of Gen. Natividad. The group claimed that Ladesma and Diamsay were resting at a house in Sitio (sub-village) Bangkusay, Barangay (village) Talabutab Norte, when seven heavily-armed men broke in and reportedly forced them to hold guns while being photographed.
Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio Osias, spokesperson of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said the four women were properly charged and were detained by the Nueva Ecija police. He also criticized militant groups for “making accusations without evidence.” /muf