Luisa is a friend!
Today is day three since Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado were abducted by armed men. They have yet to surface and I feel helpless and angry at the same time for what happened.
Luisa is a friend who generously gave me the story of Dalama. I wanted to write an academic paper on the indigenous peoples of Panay, the Tumadok, more particularly, about IP women. I had an opportunity to attend the orientation for participants to an IP Assembly and Luisa was the speaker. Briefly, she mentioned Dalama who is a binukot, who became a member of the revolutionary group New People’s Army. But, she was killed in an ambush, and her story remains untold.
I was drawn to Dalama’s story for the reason that she was a binukot. This is a dying practice among the Tumandok to confine a young girl until she is ready for bethrothal. I got interested in the glaring contrast between being a binukot and becoming a revolutionary.
Anyway, I remembered, Luisa was most generous in sharing Dalama’s story. We had several interviews. I recall, we had meetings at Chow King and Greenwich… and in between nibbles of siomai and pizza, I listened to her narrative about Dalama. Back then, I thought this woman is so kind. We are not close friends, yet, she was willing to spend time for the interviews. I was even more convinced that her kindness is genuine because she willingly read the final draft of my paper. It was almost ten in the evening when I finished writing my paper but she agreed to the meeting. I was conscious of the process of validation before presenting to my audience the paper… I told her, in the future, I would like to write her story…
I am hoping and I am still hopeful that Luisa is alive. She may not be in safe hands right now. But I continue to pray… and believe that OUR GOD IS A JUSR GOD… I also pray for May Wan and Tamara to be strong for their mother… Nilo is also in my prayers…
I’m trying to manage a rage brewing inside me… I don’t know whom to get angry with… but I think I have a right to be angry for what happened to a friend… I am angry… very angry…
