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Terredaño kin seek justice

BANGUED, Abra (Dec. 8) — On his last night, friends and the family of Albert Terredaño gathered to relish his presence. Each of them still asked, “Who killed Albert?” “Why did they kill Albert?” and many other questions that remained unanswered up to the last moment he was on earth.

On the last night of Terredaño’s wake, more friends and families came to his house to show sympathy to his family and to see him one last time. Mrs. Elvina Terredaño, his widow, sat silently in the corner near her husband’s coffin. She stared blankly with her eyes puffy from all the mourning and the sleepless nights she had to sit beside her husband. She and their children have welcomed a legion of friends and colleagues who came to bid Albert goodbye yet no words could ever alleviate the sorrow of the family that survived him.

Revelation of impact to the masses

At one point, the relatives of Albert uttered in awe how he is loved by so many. They knew that he had influence on the people but the impact of his service and importance to the masses was only revealed during the wake. People from all over the region swarmed Terredaño’s residence, each telling a story of how he has touched one’s life.

On the morning of December 9, Albert’s family, friends and comrades gathered in his house preparing to accompany him to his last destination on earth. A live band played repeatedly to create a lively setting. Minutes before his coffin was carried to the funeral coach, there was an eerie cry from his wife and other relatives as they finally closed his casket. From there, a silent march headed for the church.

In the mass, his wife struggled to hold her head up high. As people lined up to bless his casket with holy water, more people began to cry while mumbling messages for him. Their messages were unanimous that his death will eventually get justice, and for him not to worry about his family’s future. The silent march went on as they carried his body to St. James cemetery. Along the way, people stopped and lit candles where he was shot.

Albert Terredaño was killed in Zone 4 Bangued, Abra in the morning of November 29. An employee of the Department of Agrarian Reform where he was the president of its employees’ union, Terredaño was shot with a .45 semi-automatic pistol. According to a report released by Kakailian Salakniban Tayo Amin A Nagtaudan (KASTAN), a lone gunshot penetrated his lungs and exited his left armpit. He struggled to survive, but unfortunately, he died that afternoon.

Theories on the murder

Family members and friends of Albert claim that even before he was killed, he had been constantly receiving warnings and death threats from powerful Abra people. There is a strong speculation that Albert was a victim of warlordism in Abra where the landlords and powerful people use hired goons to make sure that they gain and maintain political and economic power over a certain area.

Besides being an employee of DAR-Abra where he is also a convenor of the Provincial Organizing Committee for the Confederation of Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), Albert was an advocate of human rights and the rights of government employees. Focusing on the issues concerning the rights of Abra peasants, he had been hitting the interests of the politicians.

One strong case was his recent involvement in an irrigation system in Abra. The Abra River Irrigation Association (ARIA) is said to be controlled by local government units which charged the people very high costs but delivered poor service and quality of water. Albert insisted that the people be the primary beneficiaries of the irrigation project.

His involvement in such issues is believed to be the motive for his killing.

As an active member of the Abra Human Rights Alliance (AHRA) where his strong advocacy was strongly carried out, he also tackled sensitive human rights violation cases. Each case, each issue made him vulnerable to the harassments, threats, surveillance and eventually his murder.

Help for Albert’s family, justice for Albert

In the mean time, his colleagues are soliciting any help that could be given to the family of Albert. His family, as well as his comrades, is calling for continuous investigation and resolution of his case. There is also a call for the masses to continue upholding human rights and justice in our society.

Albert Terredaño – a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a servant, a martyr… So many words to capture his essence. His wife’s last words, “Albert, uray nu ayan mu, ay-ayaten ka unay-unay…” ( Albert, wherever you are, we love you through and through…) # Ge-Ann Malicdem for NORDIS

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