“This extraordinary milestone, achieved from behind bars, reflects the collective will of the UP student body and affirms the right to political participation even under the most difficult of circumstances.”

MANILA – A political detainee topped the elections for student councilors of the University of the Philippines (UP) held last May 16.

Poet, writer and activist Amanda Echanis, a five-year prisoner of conscience, made a historic win in this year’s University Student Council (USC) elections, making her the first-ever councilor elected while in jail.

Arrested with her month-old son in Baggao, Cagayan in December 2020 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, Echanis garnered 4,830 votes, the highest among eight candidates.

At 36 years old, Echanis may also be the oldest university student councilor in UP’s history.

In an emotional video message to UP College of Media and Communication student publication Tinig ng Plaridel, Echanis said she is overjoyed not just for herself but for their Laban Kabataan Coalition and fellow students as well.

“I feel like crying because we fight for genuine student representation. Congratulations to all of us because this is the youth’s victory,” she said.

Political detainee support group Kapatid shared in Echanis’s joy, hailing her “landmark victory.”

“This extraordinary milestone, achieved from behind bars, reflects the collective will of the UP student body and affirms the right to political participation even under the most difficult of circumstances,” Kapatid said in a statement.

‘Non-custodial arrangement’

In light of her “historic election,” Kapatid urged the Philippine government to initiate a non-custodial arrangement for Echanis, with the UP President or a duly-appointed university official acting as a judicially-recognized custodial guarantor.

The group said such a mechanism would enable the councilor-elect to fulfill her duties as a student leader while fully respecting the judicial process and ensuring court supervision.

Kapatid Spokesperson Fides Lim also urged the Department of Justice and the courts to recognize Echanis’s unique circumstances and overwhelming student mandate as grounds to explore non-custodial legal remedies, such as recognizance or bail.

Lim said such remedies are “in line with domestic law and international human rights standards on restorative justice, educational access, and democratic participation.”

Echanis is listed as among the world’s Writers in Jail by Poets, Essayists, Novelists (PEN)-International.

Echanis is enrolled as a creative writing student, attending through synchronous classes, currently enjoying a stellar 1.25 general weighted average across an 18-unit load.

Already an accomplished writer before her imprisonment, Echanis’s first book “Tatlong Paslit na Alaala” was published in 2006 while her second “Binhi ng Paglaya” was published in 2023 while a political prisoner.

Her play on legendary urban poor leader Carmen Deunida titled “Nanay Mameng” had been staged in 2023.

She won the 2023 Southeast Asian Translation Mentorship fellowship and participated in the Palihang Rogelio Sicat writing workshop last year as the workshop’s first-ever online fellow.

She is the daughter of slain National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Randall Echanis and niece of the martyred revolutionary poet Emmanuel Lacaba. (Reposted by Bulatlat) (RVO)