Armed Men in Motorcycle Stalk UEP Student Regent

26 January 2007

University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) Student Regent Jean Orsolino is now on hiding after she nearly escaped possible abduction by alleged military men around 10am today in Catarman, Northern Samar. In a text message, she related that she was having a haircut in a salon when a “dark-skinned man in military shorts and haircut” entered and was apparently looking for someone.

“Di siya kilala ng salon owners. Ako ang tinitignan niya. There and then, kinabahan na ako,” said Orsolino. She knew that the man has other companions outside the salon. Instantaneously, she called her classmates from the College of Law to fetch and accompany her back to the campus. Along the way, they decided to go to a safer place rather than go directly to UEP.

“There are circumstantial evidence that point that the persons who stalk Jean are the same to those who murdered Prof. Jose Ma. Cui, also from UEP, just a week ago,” said National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) President Marco Delos Reyes. “During our national student convention early this month, she related to us that she is in the order of battle (OB) of the military in Northern Samar. A week after, Prof. Cui was cold-bloodedly murdered inside his classroom. During the wake of the professor, news spread that a law student was the next target,” added Delos Reyes.

Jean Orsolino is the current president of the UEP University Student Council and member of the university’s Board of Regents as student representative. She became Eastern-Visayas coordinator of NUSP during her undergraduate years in the mid-1990s. She builds the NUSP chapter in Northern Samar now that she has returned back to school to study law.

Delos Reyes remarked, “Jean’s case is not isolated. We have received the same reports from our chapters and members from other provinces since last year. Mrs. Arroyo’s hands are indeed tainted with the people’s blood, and we cannot allow this to continue.” He added, “We call on the auxiliary government agencies like the Commission on Human Rights, CHeD, and even the National Youth Commission to conduct investigation to safeguard the lives of the students.”

“We warn the Arroyo government and the military not to lay even a finger to youth and student leaders throughout the country. We will fight back,” he finally said. ###