Death of a cycling companionDuring my bike trip around Bohol last April, one of my cycling companions was the person shown above, a jovial former rebel leader named Ronald Sendrijas, who told us with pride that he was just the latest in a long line of Boholano dissidents that started with his forefather Francisco Dagohoy (the statue behind Ronald), one of the nation's most illustrious rebels whose real name was also Sendrijas.
Our researcher for that trip, Pia Faustino, had found Ronald in the boonies of Bohol and had suggested a ride with him off the beaten track in the rarely visited scenic north of the island.
In a way, Ronald was much like many activists I've met through the years -- an intellectual with a stubborn streak of idealism. He also had a sweetly melodic singing voice to go with his romantic notions of his homeland. Among his causes was the protection of Bohol's Inabanga River, whose clean water the government had once wanted to pipe to parched Mactan in Cebu province.
Boholanos had won that battle and Ronald took me to one of the river's tributaries where we dove in for a cold swim after a hot bike ride.
When I met him, he had been recently released after over two years in prison in Cebu for his rebel activities and was adjusting to life above ground in his and Dagohoy's home town of Inabanga. Ronald was campaigning for a relative who was running for local office. He was a controversial figure who had made enemies because of his association with the NPA. But I was surprised that he spoke openly about himself and his causes, and didn't seem much concerned about his security.
He was a likeable guy with a perpetual smile, leadership skills and musical talent. He was once a seminarian but left the seminary soon after he started arguing with priests about the existence of God.
While visiting the monument above honoring his ancestor, Ronald lamented how the space for activism had narrowed: "Mabuti pa dati, ang mga aktibista kinakasuhan, katulad ko. Ngayon pinapatay nalang."
He also remarked on the irony of honoring rebels from long ago with monuments, while the current generation of activists are killed and jailed.
Last Thursday, Ronald Sendrijas was assassinated by a gunman on a motorcycle. It was his 35th birthday.
His death will add yet another to the list of extrajudicial killings of activists. I hesitate to call these murders mysterious, because the UN special rapporteur Philip Alston and others have already credibly accused the military of this savage form of counterinsurgency. This one is different for me, because Ronald was not just another statistic. He was a very real reminder to me of how much talent and heart are being wasted by a civil war that just won't end.
Below is an excerpt from my Bohol documentary that features the bike ride with Ronald, my interview with him in which he talks with pride about keeping alive his family's dissident tradition, the river that he helped save, and a song he composed about living a life of sacrifice.
http://gmapinoytv.igma.tv/sidetrip/blog/index.php?/archives/316-Death-of-a-cycling-companion-and-the-latest-activist-killing.html#extendedLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=9094.0
