Relissa Santos Lucena, mother of Alicia Jasper, a student activist recruited by militant group Anakbayan. (Screen grab)
MANILA – Relissa Santos Lucena, mother of Alicia Jasper, a student activist recruited by militant group Anakbayan, expressed anxiety anew about her daughter's possible deployment in the mountains to join the communists’ armed conflict.
Relissa's dream to rebuild a strong family with Alicia's presence was shattered after her daughter was again taken away from them, less than four months after Alicia, who was gone missing for years, was reunited with her family on April 20 this year.
She said Alicia or AJ was fetched by two motorcycle-riding men at around 9:40 a.m. on a street near their family home on Monday.
The grieving mom, in a video message posted on YouTube Monday, said her entire family only wanted a bright and safe future for AJ and her siblings, and cannot understand why she had to leave again.
"Napaka-unfair mo sa mga kapatid mo, sa mga lolo't-lola mo, sa mga pinsan mo, na lahat kami nagtutulong-tulong para sumaya ka para makalimutan mo sila pero bakit mo ginagawa ito? Bakit ka nagsisinungaling? (You are so unfair with your siblings, with your grandparents, and your cousins that we are all helping each other for you to become happy and forget about them. But why are you doing this? Why are you lying?)," she said in her video message for AJ.
In Facebook video post on the same day, AJ repeatedly accused Relissa of being an abusive mother and that she was forcibly held by her family against her will.
She denied AJ’s statement saying she was only protecting her child out of danger.
"Bakit mo kaming ginagawang masama kahit ang gusto lang naman namin ay maprotektahan ka at mailigtas ka sa kapahamakan (Why are you making us appear bad when we only want to protect you and save your from harm)," she said.
In a press release on the same day, Anakbayan claimed Alicia's escape from her family "was necessary."
"Anakbayan considers Alicia's escape from her captors as a necessary and legitimate action given the abuse she had experienced in her detention. Such necessity and legitimacy are bolstered by court decisions that affirm Alicia's rights to speech, assembly, and organization," it said.
Relissa recalled that Alicia used to be a sweet daughter, a loving granddaughter, and a responsible sister before she joined to militant group Anakbayan – a militant left-wing youth-led organization that is part of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
She said her daughter is blinded by the wrong ideologies of the leftist group.
"Sobrang sakit. Ang sakit sakit ng ginagawa mo at ng organisasyon mo sa amin sa pamilya mo. Bakit kailangan mong gawin ito? Ayaw kitang mawala, ayaw kitang mamatay, ayaw kitang sumampa sa bundok. Bakit ba hindi maintidihan ng organiasayon mo na pinaglalaban kita kasi anak kita kasi mahal kita na hindi ko kayang mawala sa akin at hindi ko kayang mammatay ka (This is so painful. What you and your organization are doing to our family is so hurtful. Why do you have to do this? I don't want to lose you, I don't want you to die, I don't want you to go to the mountains. Why don't you and your organization understand that I'm only fighting for you because you're my child and I don't want you to die)," she said.
Relissa insisted that Alicia was radicalized and needs to be freed from her real captors. (PNA)
