Sunday, March 15, 2020

Mom worries about activist daughter amid Covid-19 scare

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 15, 2020): Mom worries about activist daughter amid Covid-19 scare (By Lade Jean Kabagani)



'BRING BACK MY DAUGHTER.' Relissa S. Lucena becomes emotional while talking about her daughter during a Senate joint hearing presided by Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Senate Committee on National Defense and Security at the Senate in Pasay City on August 7, 2019. During the hearing, parents told stories of their children, mostly senior high school and college students, who were believed recruited by leftist groups. (PNA file photo by Avito Dalan)

Relissa Lucena, mother of Alicia Jasper (AJ), a student activist who was reportedly recruited by a militant organization, expressed anxiety on Saturday about her child's condition and the risks she might get into amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (CoVid-19).

"I'm scared for Alicia because she's prone to tonsillitis infection. I'm worried about her health condition. I just don't know, as a legal organization, what are their precautionary measures to prevent Covid-19. Are they taking care of our recruited children? They are using them without any compensation," she told the PNA on Saturday.

She said when she heard reports that the national government will implement a community quarantine for the entire National Capital Region (NCR), she immediately thought about the minors allegedly recruited by militant groups.

“Of course, as parents, we don’t even know where they are now. Are they in good condition? How about the food? Are they being fed properly? Are they safe from the occurring coronavirus?” Lucena’s said.

She said she and the rest of the parents whose children were recruited by militant groups are worrying, especially that the contagious disease is hitting the country.

“Imagine? They pulled out my daughter from school to become a full-time member of the organization, and used her for political motives. I can’t help but worry about my daughter’s current condition and her colleagues. Are they being treated if they are sick?” she said.

Lucena said while the parents in Metro Manila are taking care of their children against the possible infection of Covid-19, she on the other hand, grieves for her daughter’s absence.

“It breaks my heart thinking that I could not even protect my child against the threat of the Covid-19 because they took her away from me,” she said, citing that AJ was just a minor when she was reportedly recruited by militant groups.

She said militant organizations have recruited AJ inside the campus premises of Far Eastern University (FEU)-Morayta with no parental consent.

Lucena has been repeatedly posting stuff about her daughter, AJ, in an attempt to reconnect with her.

She said she only wants to express her love to AJ, saying she is "more than excited to welcome her home."

"I miss her very much. Our family wouldn’t be complete without her,” she said. “While another family is protecting their children, here I am, worried and anxious about my daughter.”

“Why don’t you just return AJ back to us, to her real family?,” she said.

Lucena is a member of “Hands Off Our Children”, a group of parents whose children were recruited by alleged front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The group campaigns against the recruitment activities of left-leaning youth groups.
Lucena, along with the parents whose children have been allegedly recruited by militant organizations, have been actively participating in the government and academe’s awareness campaigns in the state universities.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1096628

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