KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago has sought an investigation into the death threats allegedly received by a University of the Philippines (UP) student leader days after President Rodrigo Duterte branded the New Poeple's Army (NPA) as "terrorists."
In the resolution, Elago said UP Anakbayan chapter chairperson Jann Merlin has been receiving death threats through text messages from different unregistered numbers.
One of the text messages sent to Merlin read: "Itigil mo n yn. Bata k p ineng. Mag-iwas ka na sa mga gawain mu o baka gusto mo mgawa sa mga ksama mu sa batangas (Stop what you're doing. You're still young. Avoid the things you are doing now or you might suffer the same fate as your colleagues in Batangas)."
Following the President's order to cancel the peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front, political arm of the Communist Party ot the Philippines, and the issuance of the proclamation branding CPP as a terrorist group, 15 suspected members of NPA were killed in Nasugbu, Batangas.
Among them is University of the Philippines student leader Josephine Lapira.
Two leaders of progressive group Karapatan in Visayas have also been killed by unidentified gunmen while they were making their way to a barangay in Negros Oriental to investigate the supposed human rights violations committed by the military.
The Makabayan bloc earlier filed a resolution to investigate the matter.
According to Elago, aside from Merlin, other student leaders and activists started to revive death threats and intimidating messages from unknown numbers, after the peace talks had been formally terminated.
The proclamation of the President terminating the peace talks and branding the NPA as terrorists are undoubtedly issued to silence dissenters, claimed Elago.
"As the primary and strongest opposition to Duterte's anti-people programs and projects, activist are the primary target of intimidation and harrasment launched and supported by the current administration," read the resolution.
It added: "the attacks against activists has a chilling effect on their free exercise to the right of expression and the right to express their grievances." (Keith Calayag / VoxPop Philippines)