By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
Indigenous peoples’ rights activist Myrna Cruz-Abraham was released on bail on February 4, after spending eight days in detention following what rights groups described as her illegal arrest in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Myrna was with her daughter and grandchildren in a grocery store, buying medicine, when she was accosted by personnel of the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management of the Philippine National Police (PNP). She celebrated her 70th birthday behind bars on January 30 at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) in Camp Karingal, Quezon City.
Read: Family, colleagues of Myrna Cruz-Abraham denounce second arrest
“We are saddened and angered by what Myrna had to endure—the stress and hardship of her arrest and week-long detention. Even her 70th birthday on January 30 was spent behind bars instead of being with her family, friends, and fellow advocates,” human rights group Karapatan NCR said in a statement.
The group conducted inquiries in Cagayan Valley courts over the past week and found that an old frustrated murder case from Aparri RTC Branch 9 had been “revived”—a move they believe is meant to suppress Myrna’s activism.
This was the second time that Myrna was arrested on trumped-up charges. On March 22, 2010, she was abducted, reported missing, and found the next day at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Tuguegarao City. She was then the consultant of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), and in the same year, she was freed after the Cagayan Regional Trial Court Branch 3 dismissed the charges for lack of probable cause.
Read: Activist abducted in Cagayan, later found in jail
A significant part of Myrna’s life has been dedicated to advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples, women, and workers. She has long been subject to state repression,” said Karapatan NCR. “What happened to Myrna is yet another proof of the Marcos regime’s brutal treatment of activists who have long been committed to serving the people. The list of the regime’s crimes against the Filipino people continues to grow.”
Karapatan data show that there are 762 political prisoners in the country, of whom 154 were arrested under the current administration
Right after her freedom, Myrna called for freedom of all political prisoners. (RTS, RVO)
