“My mother said that the man was commanded by a fellow policeman to interrogate me about my supposed ‘officership’ in KPL-Tacloban as the one ‘handling finance and budget.”

By Veronika Generyll Barbosa
Bulatlat.com

TACLOBAN CITY– Following the November 30 protest against corruption here, a youth party-list member was harassed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on December 1 at around 8:00 p.m.

In an interview, Axell Bergula of Kabataan Partylist (KPL)-Tacloban said that he received a text message from his mother that a certain police officer went to their house wanting to talk to him and to dissuade him from joining rallies.

“My mother said that the man was commanded by a fellow policeman to interrogate me about my supposed ‘officership’ in KPL-Tacloban as the one ‘handling finance and budget,’” Bergula said.

He stressed that there is no such position in the organization and he does not hold a similar position. He said that this may be related to his personal details being posted in the group’s page when they launched a donation drive for the victims of Typhoon Tino.

Bergula said that his mother was also warned by the policeman that he might be “abducted should higher-ups mandate it” and that the PNP already knows his identity as well as his personal information.

“It is not a crime to demand accountability from the government that does nothing about the plight of the masses. There is nothing wrong with activism and these forms of intimidation against youth activists under Marcos Jr.’s rule speak volumes of the government’s cowardice in facing the judgement of the outraged people,” Bergula said. 

In a statement, KPL-Tacloban condemned the PNP’s surveillance on its member, saying that this is an assault not only on a youth activist but also on anyone who speaks up against the widespread corruption. “This form of intimidation will not work but will instead serve as an impetus for the youth to fight against corruption and fascism enabled by the state and its forces.”

University of the Philippines Tacloban Student Council and Leyte Normal University Supreme Student Council (LNU-SSC) released statements in solidarity with Bergula and other activists subjected to surveillance and intimidation.

“We denounce any reported acts of harassment toward the youth by police actors, as such actions weaken democratic participation and violate fundamental rights of students who choose to speak up within bounds of the law,” LNU-SSC said. (RTS, DAA)