Post by drunkpunk on Mar 20, 2007 6:23:22 GMT -5
i hope you'll find time to read this article guys. some of those involved are my friends. thanx! 
[glow=red,2,300]Punks find hell on the way to Sagada [/glow]
By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Inquirer
Last updated 04:41am (Mla time) 03/18/2007
ALL he wanted was to see the flowers of Baguio City during the Panagbenga Festival, perhaps get distracted by their smell and display of colors while he gets “high” with the kind of music that only he and his friends can discern.
Anderson Alonzo, 19, along with friends Jethro Villegas, 22, and Rundren Lao, 25, left Davao on Dec. 6, 2005, upon the invitation of a punk friend from Tarlac.
Punks are described as people who detest all forms of commercialization and dress in somewhat weird ways.
A big gig, where punks pour-out their angst and emotions through poetry and “do-it-yourself” music, was to take place in Tarlac.
Alonzo said the desire to meet new friends and the thrill of another adventure pushed him to accept the invitation.
Gigs, he said, are where punks from all over the country gather around.
When he left Davao, Alonzo only had P100 in his pocket, which his grandmother had given him.
From Davao, the group hitched on trucks and barge, passing through Surigao and Leyte.
Test of creativity
Hitchhiking, he said, is always a test of creativity, especially when it comes to begging for a free ride.
It took the group five days to reach Manila.
He described the travel as part of their struggle as punks, where they test their ability to survive out of limited opportunities and dangerous circumstances.
Upon arriving in Manila, Alonzo and his friends moved around punk communities before heading for Tarlac.
After the gig in Tarlac, he said, his group from Davao was joined by other punks for Baguio to watch the Panagbenga.
But when they arrived in Baguio two days before Valentine’s Day last year, no flowers in full bloom welcomed them because it was still two weeks before festival time.
Frustrated and tired because their main purpose in going to Baguio was not taking place yet, Alonzo and his punk friends headed for Sagada in the Mt. Province.
Military
The adventure to Sagada would later introduce them to the Filipino people as the Punks 11.
“We did not have any hint about what will eventually take place. We left Baguio at 7 a.m. We hitched on a truck,” Alonzo recounted.
By 12 noon, they reached Buguias town.
There, policemen manning a checkpoint flagged down the truck they were riding in.
“They were in full uniform. In fact they were in full battle gear,” he said.
He said as soon as the vehicle came to a halt, the policemen—with guns aimed at them—commanded them to disembark.
“They shouted at us: ‘Baba kayo... NPA kayo!’ (Get off... you NPAs),” Alonzo said.
He said they were shocked.
Alonzo said the policemen accused them of being part of a group of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, which attacked a military detachment in Mankayan town a few weeks earlier.
He said while cursing them, the policemen ordered them to lie face down on the ground. His companions tried to reason out but the policemen started kicking them.
The truck driver and his assistant were also told to lie face down on the ground.
All of them were later blindfolded and handcuffed and herded to a police camp.
“While we were walking, they insisted we were NPA rebels,” Alonzo said.
At the camp, the policemen took all their belongings and prevented them from making contact with anybody.
Alonzo said they were then tortured into confession, their bodies beaten until they were black and blue. Their calls for mercy fell on deaf ears.
Alonzo described his trip to Sagada as hell.
“All we felt was fear. I thought hell was becoming hotter. We feared for our lives. We thought we would be killed,” he said.
Alonzo said he only had one wish then. If he got killed, at least his body would be sent home.
“It was an agony of the mind and body. They would douse us with cold water, hit us with wood. Ron Pardino, one of our companions from Laguna, was even electrocuted,” he said.
After their first night at the police camp, Alonzo said seven of their colleagues were brought to the Benguet Provincial Jail.
Firearms
He and three others were brought to Mankayan, in the very area that the NPA had raided.
“They asked us to look for firearms but we told them we didn’t know where to find them. Then they asked us if we still wanted to go home. Of course in my mind, I said yes,” Alonzo said.
They were then brought back to the camp.
During their second night at the police camp, Lao was brought near a cliff where he was repeatedly beaten again.
He found an opportunity to escape and sought help from the National Bureau of Investigation.
Instead of helping Lao, NBI operatives turned him back to the police. He rejoined his fellow punks at Cell No. 12 of the provincial jail.
Their ordeal came to the attention of the public and friends and their family started to write letters of appeal.
On Dec. 21, after being imprisoned for almost 11 months, they were finally freed.
The policemen, who took turns in beating them, had only apologized aside from buying plane tickets for him and his friends Lao and Villegas.
Alonzo said for him and his friends, they found that justice rarely works in the Philippines.
“I don’t trust authorities either. If I see a policeman, I feel angry,” he said.
Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=55499
[glow=red,2,300]Punks find hell on the way to Sagada [/glow]
By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Inquirer
Last updated 04:41am (Mla time) 03/18/2007
ALL he wanted was to see the flowers of Baguio City during the Panagbenga Festival, perhaps get distracted by their smell and display of colors while he gets “high” with the kind of music that only he and his friends can discern.
Anderson Alonzo, 19, along with friends Jethro Villegas, 22, and Rundren Lao, 25, left Davao on Dec. 6, 2005, upon the invitation of a punk friend from Tarlac.
Punks are described as people who detest all forms of commercialization and dress in somewhat weird ways.
A big gig, where punks pour-out their angst and emotions through poetry and “do-it-yourself” music, was to take place in Tarlac.
Alonzo said the desire to meet new friends and the thrill of another adventure pushed him to accept the invitation.
Gigs, he said, are where punks from all over the country gather around.
When he left Davao, Alonzo only had P100 in his pocket, which his grandmother had given him.
From Davao, the group hitched on trucks and barge, passing through Surigao and Leyte.
Test of creativity
Hitchhiking, he said, is always a test of creativity, especially when it comes to begging for a free ride.
It took the group five days to reach Manila.
He described the travel as part of their struggle as punks, where they test their ability to survive out of limited opportunities and dangerous circumstances.
Upon arriving in Manila, Alonzo and his friends moved around punk communities before heading for Tarlac.
After the gig in Tarlac, he said, his group from Davao was joined by other punks for Baguio to watch the Panagbenga.
But when they arrived in Baguio two days before Valentine’s Day last year, no flowers in full bloom welcomed them because it was still two weeks before festival time.
Frustrated and tired because their main purpose in going to Baguio was not taking place yet, Alonzo and his punk friends headed for Sagada in the Mt. Province.
Military
The adventure to Sagada would later introduce them to the Filipino people as the Punks 11.
“We did not have any hint about what will eventually take place. We left Baguio at 7 a.m. We hitched on a truck,” Alonzo recounted.
By 12 noon, they reached Buguias town.
There, policemen manning a checkpoint flagged down the truck they were riding in.
“They were in full uniform. In fact they were in full battle gear,” he said.
He said as soon as the vehicle came to a halt, the policemen—with guns aimed at them—commanded them to disembark.
“They shouted at us: ‘Baba kayo... NPA kayo!’ (Get off... you NPAs),” Alonzo said.
He said they were shocked.
Alonzo said the policemen accused them of being part of a group of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, which attacked a military detachment in Mankayan town a few weeks earlier.
He said while cursing them, the policemen ordered them to lie face down on the ground. His companions tried to reason out but the policemen started kicking them.
The truck driver and his assistant were also told to lie face down on the ground.
All of them were later blindfolded and handcuffed and herded to a police camp.
“While we were walking, they insisted we were NPA rebels,” Alonzo said.
At the camp, the policemen took all their belongings and prevented them from making contact with anybody.
Alonzo said they were then tortured into confession, their bodies beaten until they were black and blue. Their calls for mercy fell on deaf ears.
Alonzo described his trip to Sagada as hell.
“All we felt was fear. I thought hell was becoming hotter. We feared for our lives. We thought we would be killed,” he said.
Alonzo said he only had one wish then. If he got killed, at least his body would be sent home.
“It was an agony of the mind and body. They would douse us with cold water, hit us with wood. Ron Pardino, one of our companions from Laguna, was even electrocuted,” he said.
After their first night at the police camp, Alonzo said seven of their colleagues were brought to the Benguet Provincial Jail.
Firearms
He and three others were brought to Mankayan, in the very area that the NPA had raided.
“They asked us to look for firearms but we told them we didn’t know where to find them. Then they asked us if we still wanted to go home. Of course in my mind, I said yes,” Alonzo said.
They were then brought back to the camp.
During their second night at the police camp, Lao was brought near a cliff where he was repeatedly beaten again.
He found an opportunity to escape and sought help from the National Bureau of Investigation.
Instead of helping Lao, NBI operatives turned him back to the police. He rejoined his fellow punks at Cell No. 12 of the provincial jail.
Their ordeal came to the attention of the public and friends and their family started to write letters of appeal.
On Dec. 21, after being imprisoned for almost 11 months, they were finally freed.
The policemen, who took turns in beating them, had only apologized aside from buying plane tickets for him and his friends Lao and Villegas.
Alonzo said for him and his friends, they found that justice rarely works in the Philippines.
“I don’t trust authorities either. If I see a policeman, I feel angry,” he said.
Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=55499
