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MANILA, Philippines?A long-time union and community organizer died at the Ospital ng Maynila early Thursday morning after being brought there Wednesday night by unidentified men for having a stroke.
And the labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement) in a statement e-mailed to media outfits on Sunday blamed the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp) for the death of Daniel Benavidez, 57. It said intelligence agents had tried to coerce Benavidez into working for them and this must have been so stressful for him that he suffered a stroke.
Quoting Benavidez?s family and friends, the KMU said Benavidez was restless that Wednesday afternoon because elements of the Isafp introduced themselves to him that morning, showed him his lengthy dossier, and told him he was being monitored for more than a year now and that he has nowhere to hide from them.
Benavidez confided to friends and family members that the Isafp personnel warned him that his children will be abducted and harmed if he refuses to cooperate with them. He said the intelligence agents want him to divulge the names and whereabouts of key leaders and organizers of activist organizations.
Fearing for the life of his children, Benavidez agreed to meet up again with the Isafp agents that night, somewhere near the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He was supposed to text or call one of his friends about the results of the meeting, but the night wore on without him texting or calling his friend.
At that point, a friend decided to call him via his cellular phone. A guy who called himself ?Jason? answered the phone and said he brought Benavidez to the hospital because the latter had a stroke. When family members arrived at the hospital, doctors told them four guys brought Benavidez there. When the family members looked for the men, they were already nowhere to be found.
?The Isafp killed Benavidez. Its agents definitely induced the stroke with their grave threats in the morning and who-knows-what-else during the night. After conducting surveillance on him for more than a year, they must have known that he has a heart condition,? said Joselito ?Lito? Ustarez, KMU executive vice chairman.
?Grave threats to life are enough to cause a person to have a stroke. Grave threats to the lives of one?s innocent children are even worse. That is how barbaric and inhumane these military agents and regime are,? added Ustarez.
The labor group also disclosed that the surveillance and harassment of Benavidez?s family continue even after his death.
?Intelligence agents were seen monitoring his condition in the hospital and his wake. They may be on the lookout for the comrades whom Benavidez refused to betray,? explained Ustarez.
KMU vowed to seek justice for Benavidez?s death, even as the country is condemning and seeking justice for the recent massacre in Maguindanao.
?We will definitely fight for justice for our comrade?s untimely death. We hope the public and the media will join us in this fight, even as we struggle for justice for the victims of the massacre in Maguindanao,? said Ustarez.
