DAVAO CITY – A staff member of Bayan Muna partylist was reportedly harassed in Manila by a man who identified himself as an intelligence agent during a protest action against the MRT-LRT fare hikes on Wednesday.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said Lea Fullon was approached by a man who identified himself as Joey Fabrigas at the Monumento station of the LRT1.
He said Fabrigas asked Fullon to report to him through text message any protest action they will conduct anywhere in Metro Manila or in provinces and left her his name and cell phone number.
“He also pointedly asked where the protesters were going to after the action,” Colmenares said adding that two other unidentified men took photos of the protesters.
“Why are intelligence agents targeting members of the legal mass organizations for their operations? Activists and progressive forces are not threats to national security, and should not be subject to intelligence gathering,” said Colmenares.
“The incident sends a grim message to members of Bayan Muna and other progressive organizations. The demand for sufficient social services, economic and civil-political rights are just and legitimate, and within their right to expression and to assembly,” he said.
Colmenares said they are not taking the incident lightly “in the spate of human rights violations under the Aquino administration and the reigning culture of impunity.”
“To date, there are 238 victims of extrajudicial killings under this administration, who also experienced harassments and surveillance operations by state agents before their killing,” Colmenares added.(davaotoday.com)
