DAVAO CITY, Philippines – It took a year to finally speak about her father, who has been missing since a year ago in a farmworkers’ community in Bukidnon.
In front of her father’s colleagues and human rights advocates on the first anniversary of the disappearance of union organizer William Lariosa, his daughter twenty-year old Yasmin spoke about pride and pain.
“Oo, proud ko kay tatay. Proud ko sa iyahang nahimo ug sa iyahang baruganan, pero wala kini nagpasabot nga dawat nako ang nahitabo sa iyaha. Kay ang pagdawat sa nahitabo kay tatay kay same ra sa pag-normalize sa injustice sa atoang sistema (Yes, I am proud of my father. I am proud for what he stood for, but it doesn’t mean I accepted what had happened to him. That would mean we’re just normalizing the injustice in this system),” said Yasmin.
Though emotional, Yasmin uttered these words during the launch of the Surface William Lariosa Network on Saturday, April 5, which will continue the campaign to search for Lariosa, seek legal remedies and raise awareness on the abduction of activists in the country.
Lariosa, an organizer for Kilusang Mayo Uno, has been missing since April 10, 2024. He was last seen in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon, where eyewitness tagged elements of the 48th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army forcibly arrested Lariosa—a claim the military has denied. He was 63 years old at the time of his disappearance.
His family sought local courts to help surface Lariosa, but was denied as the family based their claims of abduction on hearsay.
READ: A family’s search for an abducted union organizer
Yasmin laments her father’s disappearance, as she and her family knew William was being red-tagged for years for his work in organizers workers in Davao Region that forced him to distance himself from the family for their safety.
“What happened to him is a manifestation of how unjust, how unfair our system is. Those who are helping and showing concern for the people are the ones who are labeled evil. And those who commit impunity are the ones being idolized,” Yasmin said in Cebuano.
She voiced the agony her family faces ever day to find her father, whom they do not know if he is still alive. “Luck should not be an option here,” she said.
“Ang usa ka tuig sukad nga nawala si tatay kay mga oras, adlaw ug semana na sya sa kaguol, kahiubos, kalagot ug kasakit namo nga ginaantos sa kataas sa mga adlaw nga nilabay (A year since Tatay disappeared, it’s been hours, days and weeks of sadness, disappointment, frustration and pain which we have endured),” Yasmin added.
Colleagues and friends of Lariosa also shared the same sentiments. During the launch of the network, they shared their fond experiences with him and noted his kindness, selflessness and dedication to work.
The Surface William Lariosa Network aims to amplify the call to surface Lariosa through various local and international efforts—lobbying for support and pushing for legal remedies both in Philippine courts and the United Nations (UN).
“We have explored all legal remedies, but until now we still have no idea where he is, the government has not responded to our appeals. We need to do more actions if we want to find him,” said KMU Southern Mindanao spokesperson Brian Adas.
As of this writing, the Lariosa family and the network are still awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on the Writ of Amparo they filed in August 2024. They have also sought assistance from the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. (davaotoday.com)
Kilusang Mayo Uno, William Lariosa
