Elsa Torreblanca is a public school
teacher, widow, and a mother of four. Her husband, Mario, was killed by suspected
members of New People’s Army (NPA) in Sogod, Southern Leyte, on September 2000.
Mario was a
farmer and was suspected by the group as a military asset. The group later
claimed his death but evidence of his link to military was never been proven.
Two months
after Mario’s death, Elsa delivered their youngest and only son, Peter. Elsa’s
life became more miserable until his oldest daughter finished college and got a
job on 2007.
Last March,
2017, Peter graduated high school as a valedictorian. He took admission test at
UP and placed fourth. The prestigious school offered him full scholar, but
Elsa’s reaction shocked the whole family.
Peter
planned to take accounting as he wanted to become a CPA lawyer someday.
When Peter
took entrance exam at UP Manila on February, Elsa did not commented, but when
the result went out, the 55-year old teacher told his only son to go to Siliman
University, where he’s also offered full
scholar, instead of UP.
Elsa’s reason is simple. She don’t want
Peter to get influenced by UP activists – the same people who killed Peter’s
father and her husband.
Based on
Elsa’s information, the leader of the NPA group who kidnapped Mario was a
former activist from UP Diliman who was undergraduate and went to become an
active NPA commander in Leyte.
Elsa despise
all activists, and UP, as the main school for most activists, is no place for
Peter as per Elsa’s decision.
Although
Peter is not active in activism, a mother’s heart is hard to change.
Elsa’s
another reason is that, UP did not place on top ten on the latest BAR exam,
while Siliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental got two spots on
top 10.
Peter will
be studying BS in accountancy, and once he become CPA he will study law
according to plan.
“The day
that these UP activists-turned NPA abducted my husband is still fresh on my
mind. I don’t want my son to be badly influenced by this people. Activism has
no place in my family, much more communism,” Elsa said.
“Every time I watch UP
students protesting on the streets, I can only imagine how miserable are their
parents would be,” she added.
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