UP Press Release: 19 July 2006

UP Holds "Tagulaylay" Procession July 20 To Denounce Abduction Of Two Students

July 20 marks the 24th day of the forced disappearance of two University of the Philippines (UP) students. The UP community remembers this day with a requiem procession.

UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan, together with a farmer, were abducted by masked men in Hagonoy, Bulacan last June 26. Prior to their forced disappearance, the two students were working as volunteers for a peasant organization.

Karen and Sherlyn are now two of the 181 victims of forced disappearances in the last five years. Since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office in 2001, 705 activists have also been killed.

In this light, Tigil-Paslang UP -- a broad alliance of students, faculty and staff formed in the wake of Karen and Sherlyn's disappearance -- will organize "Tagulaylay: Hinagpis at Pakikibaka," a requiem procession for the victims of Macapagal-Arroyo's state terror on July 20 (Thursday), 5 p.m. at the Quezon Hall in UP Diliman.

The activity aims to show the UP community's collective grief and indignation over the continuing violations of the people's civil liberties and the demand that Karen and Sherlyn be released. It includes lamentations, protest songs and poetry prepared by faculty members and students. A procession around the academic oval will culminate with the laying down of 100 crosses at the Sunken Garden to represent the growing number of victims of human rights violations.

Those who will join are encouraged to wear black and red and bring candles.

It may be recalled that UP President Emerlinda Roman as early as last July 3 wrote to the secretaries of the Department of National Defense and the Department of Interior and Local Government asking their assistance to locate the two missing students.

Nine days after (July 12), UP Diliman's University Council (UC) -- composed of assistant, associate and full professors -- passed a resolution expressing "great concern" over the inaction of government authorities to produce the two missing students. For their part, UP students through their University Student Council (USC) and other organizations have initiated a number of activities to call attention to the plight of the two students including a rally in Mendiola which was violently dispersed, as well as a mass and symbolic candle-lighting at the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

Despite these initiatives, Karen and Sherlyn remain missing.

Tigil-Paslang UP is the response of the concerned constituents of UP to the spate of killings, abductions, torture, illegal arrests under Arroyo's Oplan Bantay Laya. Among its convenors are National Artist Bien Lumbera, Faculty Regent Roland Simbulan, Student Regent Raffy Sanchez, Former CSWCD Dean Angelito Manalili, Former CSSP Dean Connie Paz, Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Dr. Ramon Guillermo, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Dr. Fidel Nemenzo, Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, Prof. Sarah Raymundo, Prof. Danilo Arao, Buboy Cabrera and others. The students are also represented by Paolo Alfonso of the USC, as well as STAND-UP, NNARA-YOUTH, AGHAM Youth and GABRIELA Youth, among others.

For details, please call Profs. Judy Taguiwalo, (0916) 782-9666; and Sarah Raymundo, (0918) 693-3181.