On March 3, 2018, veteran journalist Grace Cantal-Albasin and husband Lloyd received a call that has since haunted them. It has been 42 months.
“March 3, at 2 am, we were at home. My husband was cooking and there was an activity on the farm. It was then when suddenly, I got a call. ‘Tita…si Myles,’” Grace told Rappler in an interview on Tuesday, September 7.
Their daughter Myles, a fresh graduate of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, and five others were arrested in Barangay Luyang, Mabinay, Negros Oriental, and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Her parents traveled from their home in Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao to Dumaguete City in Central Visayas on March 4, to see their daughter at the Negros Oriental detention and rehabilitation center.
Grace, a journalist, helped launch a campaign to free Myles and her companions – collectively called the Mabinay 6 – alleging a trumped-up case.
She felt hopeful when, in the same month, the Negros Oriental Provincial Crime Laboratory came up with negative results for paraffin tests conducted on the young detainees.
The test results cast doubt on the military claim that the arrests happened in the immediate aftermath of a five-minute firefight.
Myles’ arrest came a year after President Rodrigo Duterte ended peace talks with the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines in 2017.
The arrest of the Mabinay 6 in 2018 was the first of a series of harsh – and often violent – crackdowns on unarmed groups and individuals the government accused of being “fronts” for the communist movement.
Human rights groups accuse the Philippine government of using anti-insurgency operations to red-tag and silence legitimate activists, journalists, and critics.
Myles and the Mabinay 6 were among the first activists arrested in the crackdowns, but 3 years and 6 months later, she remains detained, and has yet to undergo trial. During a pandemic, only letters keep her parents apprised of what her life is like in a detention cell.
Myles is in the news again these days, fighting for her right to an education, following her admission into the law program of Silliman University. Many have been touched by her plight, wondering what landed her in prison.
This is her story.
Myles, the daughter and activist
Born on March 21, 1996, Grace and Lloyd’s eldest child grew up in Cagayan de Oro.
“At a very young age, Myles saw the realities of society,” said Grace, recalling her daughter’s years as a high school publication staff writer in the Jesuit-run Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
In 2013, Myles enrolled at the University of the Philippines in Cebu, where she studied mass communication.
She became a student activist, joining the Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante (NKE) and its immersion activities with Cebu’s marginalized sectors.
“You could see how affected she was from the things she heard, especially with issues concerning the Lumad. Makakita ka nga affected jud siya labi na kay mga bata naa,” said former NKE member and friend Decelle Suarez. (You could see how affected she was, especially since there were kids involved.)
Myles later led the reestablishment of the Anakbayan Cebu chapter and served as the chairperson of Anakbayan UP Cebu for two years before graduating in 2017.
In 2017, she co-organized Lakbayan, an initiative with the Lumad community that would help provide sanctuaries for the indigenous peoples in various places, mostly religious institutions and university campuses.
“She was trying to secure a safe space so these Lumad wouldn’t be harassed. But, even then, there were still those that did. However, she was still there. She had her resolve,” said Suarez.
“Her heart has always been for the exploited and oppressed masses. This is evident in her fearless decision to integrate with the basic masses,” wrote Anakbayan UP Cebu in a Facebook post.
In the first few days of Myles’ detention, several protests erupted, condemning the arrest of the Mabinay 6 and the government’s crackdown on activism.
On March 21, 2018, Myles’ first birthday in detention, Kabataan Partylist Representative Sarah Elago filed a resolution, seeking a House committee on human rights investigation into the arrest of the Mabinay 6.
In May, they pleaded “not guilty” at the Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Bais City. In November, they received the heart-breaking news about the murder of their lawyer Benjamin Ramos.
But Myles’ toughest challenge was yet to come.
“Three years ago, two months after she was detained, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer.” Grace said.
“When I heard the diagnosis, I could only think at the time, ‘Lloyd, please…si Myles,’” she recalled reminding her husband about their daughter.
Still, this did not stop them from fighting. Grace found strength in Myles, who spent time learning new crafts and teaching younger detainees lessons that she had learned in college.
“Inside the jail, she has plenty of paintings. She also knits and even has a certificate for massage therapy because of the detention center’s livelihood programs,” Grace said.
Grace told Rappler that the other detainees sometimes refer to Myles as “Baby Myles,” pointing out that she was treated like a daughter by the wardens due to her loving and caring personality.
“Every time I get letters from her while she is in detention, even if we want to, we just can’t show that we’re terrified for Myles. We know anything could happen, but we just can’t,” Grace said.
Seeking justice and education
On Sunday, September 5, Myles’ sister, Marley, posted about the former’s acceptance into the Silliman University College of Law. She will be attending classes from her cell.
Grace said that would make Myles the first lawyer in the family. But the family is still seeking permission to have Myles use gadgets for her law classes.
Grace has written the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), appealing for reconsideration of its denial of Myles’ request.
On October 8, the Mabinay 6 are scheduled for pre-trial at the Regional Trial Court Branch 42 in Dumaguete City.
While waiting for that day, Myles can only continue to pour her heart into letters to her family.
In one such letter to her mother last August, Myles wrote: “I’ve made it my mantra since June, when we were still worlds away from the Law School dream, to ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst.’ Now, I’m still not sure what to expect, really. But whatever the result will be, I’m sure I can take it…only as long as I know you – all of you – will always be with me as strong as ever.” – Rappler.com
Grace Albasin, Myles’ mother, is an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.
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