Steve Abua, 34, a peasant and indigenous peoples organizer was reportedly abducted by unknown assailants and last seen in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Lubao, Pampanga on November 6.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), in its statement, said that Abua’s family received a message from Abua’s mobile phone, allegedly from the abductors, days after the abduction.
After the exchange of messages, Abua’s wife was instructed to accept a Facebook Messenger account where they were able to contact her husband via video call looking distressed, blindfolded and his mouth covered to prevent him from speaking.
The family was also threatened by the abductors that they would kill Abua should they not abide by the abductors’ conditions.
Steve’s family said in the same statement that they believe that state forces were the possible abductors of Steve after they repeatedly said that “the government wanted to give Abua a chance to turn a new leaf in life.”
The family had also sought assistance to the Commission on Human Rights through the help of KARAPATAN Central Luzon.
Who is Steve Abua?
Steve is a peasant and indigenous group organizer from KMP, a nationwide group that defends farmers rights and legitimate agrarian reform on areas, in the areas of Pampanga and Bataan provinces in Central Luzon region.
He was also a former student leader and graduate from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman School of Statistics.
The UP Office of Student Regent (OSR), in its statement, said that during Steve was already actively engaged in the issues experienced by students and people during his student years. The UP OSR also vehemently condemned the abduction of Abua.
Groups demand to stop attacks on human rights defenders
With Steve’s disappearance, several groups like KMP, Anakbayan, and Kabataan Partylist stressed in separate statements their appeal to stop the attacks on human rights defenders.
“Ang atake kay Steve Abua ay atake sa mga magsasaka at katutubo! Ang atake sa mga tagapagtaguyod ng karapatan ng mga magsasaka at katutubo ay direktang pag-echapwera sa mga lehitimong panawagan nila para sa lupa’t buhay!” said in a statement of Anakbayan.
[The attack on Steve Abua is an attack on farmers and indigenous people! The attack on human rights defenders of farmers and indigenous people is a direct ostracization to their legitimate call towards their rights on their lands and life.]
These groups also demanded to surface Steve, who is also considered a rights defender.
“We are appealing to any witnesses to give any information that could lead to the whereabouts of Steve Abua. It is likely that Abua was abducted to force him to surrender and cooperate with government agents from the NTF-ELCAC,” said KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos in a statement.
The disappearances and killings of human right defenders has alarmed the international community. Based on the data of the International Federation of Human Rights, 15 human rights defenders were killed during the first half of 2021, following the trend of several incidents of violence and ‘red-tagging.’
