Family asks banana firm to release son held incommunicado

Photo of Allan Redubla (courtesy of Karapatan)

The Rotto Fresh International Traders, a Cavendish banana plantation company in Compostela, Compostela Valley allegedly detained Redubla on suspicion that he helped New People’s Army guerillas in burning the company’s backhoe last July 13.

by JOHN RIZLE SALIGUMBA
Davao Today

DAVAO CITY–The family of plantation security guard Allan Redubla appealed his employer to release him from being held incommunicado since July 15.

“We have been sleepless since we cannot contact him,” said Allan’s mother Gloria.

Police earlier arrested Redubla on the grounds that he acted as “look-out” for the NPAs and “because he was always using his phone (when the incident happened),” Gloria Redubla said.

Gloria said Redubla’s co-security workers attested that his son is innocent of the charges thrown against him.

The police released Redubla two days later, on July 15 after the company failed to file formal charges against him.

But Redubla’s family was dismayed when the company, instead, took Redubla.

“I already held (my son) but I was afraid for his life,” she said she felt intimidated by armed company “goons” who were in the vicinity,’ Gloria told Davao Today.

Rotto Fresh’s farm supervisor Allan Micutuan allegedly told Gloria that they planned to bring Redubla to Davao City to serve as “star witness” to a case that they will file.

“They gave us a number where I can text Allan. But when I tried the number, I got no reply,” she said.

Davao Today tried to get the side of Rotto Fresh but their designated representatives were not available.

Rotto Fresh is facing a labor dispute when it terminated workers, blaming the Typhoon Pablo disaster last year. Workers staged a strike after the company offered to re-hire them as contractual workers, a move that violated provisions of their Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rotto Fresh has filed a civil case against the workers.( John Rizle Saligumba/davaotoday.com)