Kabataan Partylist

Youth partylist seeks Recom’s disqualification
Reference: Kabataan Partylist Caloocan City Chapter

Members of Kabataan Partylist in Caloocan City today picketed outside the residence of reelectionist Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri to protest the detention and harassment of five of its members.

The youth complainants said they were subjected to verbal abuse, harassment and illegal detention and one of them even experienced physical attack from Mayor Echiverri himself.

The victim, who refused to give his name for security reasons, said they were just posting Kabataan campaign materials along Tirona St. in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan in the early hours of April 14 when several policemen apprehended them and forced them in a van.

The complainant said they were readily arrested by the police officers after being caught removing a poster of Echiverri that was covering a Kabataan streamer earlier placed in the area.

“Bumaba kaadad yung mga pulis at pilit kaming pinasakay sa van. Nung tumanggi kami, tinutukan nila kami ng .45 at baby armalite at sinabihang ‘matigas kayo, gusto n’yong palambutin naming kayo?’ (The policemen quickly alighted the vehicle and told us to enter the van. When we refused, they pointed a 45 caliber pistol and a baby armalite at us and said “matigas kayo, gusto n’yong palambutin naming kayo?”),” the complainant narrated.

Instead of bringing them to a precint, he said they were brought to the residence of Echiverri and were presented before the incumbent mayor.

“Pilit niya kaming pinapaamin na may pulitikong nasa likod numg ginawa naming pagbabaklas sa poster niya. Binatukan pa nga niya ako. (He was forcing us to admit that there was a politician behind all of these things. He even hit me in the head.”

He said the Echiverri’s interrogation lasted for an hour before he asked the policemen to imprison them.

They were only released around 9 o’clock in the morning when a parent of one of the apprehended youth appealed to Echiverri.

“Dapat yung insidente na ito ay magbukas sa mata ng mga taga-Caloocan sa klase ng mayor na mayroon tayo rito. Kung kaya niyang gawin ito sa mga kabataan, kayang-kaya rin niya itong gawin sa iba (This incident should be an eye-opener to the people of Caloocan of the kind of mayor we have right now. If he can do these things to ordinary youth, he certainly can do it to other people.)”

He said they are planning to file a formal complaint against Echiverri and seek his possible disqualification for his conduct.

“Ang mga taong katulad niya ay di na dapat mahalal muli. Di na kami papayag na magdusa na naman ang mga taga-Caloocan sa korupsyon at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan sa susunod na tatlong taon sa ilalim ni Recom (People like him don’t deserve another term. We will not allow ourselves to suffer from corruption and abuse of power for the next three years under Recom).”

This entry was posted on Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 10:58 am and is filed under News and Press releases, Government, Justice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.