“Anak ko, huwag mo akong iiwan,” were the words uttered by 69-year-old Myrna Cruz-Abraham when her daughter saw her being escorted by eight personnel in plainclothes at the Massway Supermarket in San Rafael, Bulacan.
Cruz-Abraham was grocery shopping with her daughter and grandchild at the said convenience store when a woman who introduced herself as a police officer suddenly approached and inquired for her name. The woman claimed that Cruz-Abraham had a case and instructed her to come with them immediately.
She quickly asked for identification and the purpose of such action, but the personnel merely insisted that they must go with her. Cruz-Abraham and her daughter were escorted in a vehicle, accompanied by a convoy of another vehicle carrying other personnel.
At around 10:00 AM, they were brought to the San Rafael Municipal Police Station where the arrest warrant was read to Cruz-Abraham implicating her in a frustrated murder case issued at the Cagayan Regional Trial Court Branch 9. It was only at this point they confirmed that the arresting personnel were from the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
After an hour or two, Cruz-Abraham was brought to the Quezon City General Hospital for a mandatory physical examination where her blood pressure was recorded at 160/80. Despite the elevated reading which already falls under stage 2 hypertension, authorities proceeded to transport her to Camp Karingal in Quezon City.
Cruz-Abraham is a teacher, writer, and long-time organizer who has been championing the rights of women, workers, indigenous peoples, and farmers since 1982. She co-founded the Women’s Center and was part of the Center for Women’s Resources. She is also a member of various organizations including the Women Industrial Workers Alliance (WIWA), Kilusang Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK), and St. Joseph’s Social Services and Crisis Management Committee – NCR.
In the 1990s, Cruz-Abraham organized unions among factories, public and private schools and initiated livelihood programs for the displaced workers across Metro Manila. She also became a consultant to various non-government organizations including Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon ti Cagayan Valley, a regional peasant organization in Cagayan Valley, where she advocated for the rights of marginalized communities in the province.
Since 2017, Cruz-Abraham has become an active member of SANDIWA, a network advocating for the rights of national minorities, indigenous peoples, and Moro communities for their right to self-determination, ancestral lands, and territories. She also played a vital role in the Lakbayan campaign and supported the Lumad Bakwit School in Manila from 2017 to 2019.
Rights group Karapatan National Capital Region emphasized that Cruz-Abraham is the first political prisoner arrested under the Marcos Jr. administration this year. According to the group, Cruz-Abraham is the 155th individual to be illegally arrested, bringing the total number of political prisoners in the country to 763.
“This is not the first time Cruz-Abraham has been arrested. Back in 2010, during the Arroyo administration, she was unlawfully detained in Cagayan Valley on charges of murder and violating the election period gun ban,” Karapatan NCR stated.
The charges were eventually dismissed, leading to her release on December 23, 2010.
On the same day of her arrest, various progressive groups trooped to Camp Karingal to demand the immediate release of Cruz-Abraham and assert that her detention is part of the continued repression of activists and human rights defenders.
Cruz-Abraham will turn 70 on January 30. Her kin meanwhile have expressed deep concern for her well-being, citing her struggle with hypertension and the urgent need for adequate medical care due to her advanced age.
Cruz-Abraham is currently detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) in Camp Karingal.
