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Friday, March 29, 2024

#FreeSallyNow!

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#FreeSallyNow!“She was never in hiding.”

 

 

Salome “Sally” Crisostomo-Ujano, a sister in the Philippine feminist movement and a child rights advocate, was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) last Sunday morning. There is a rebellion case against her, and a warrant of arrest was issued in 2006 for a criminal act she allegedly committed in 2005.

Sally was the Executive Director of the Women’s Crisis Center (WCC), a feminist non-government organization (NGO) that rendered services for victims and survivors of Violence Against Women (VAW). My organization has worked with the WCC for many years from the ‘90s until early 2000s, and consequently, I worked with Sally in our advocacies. Our groups were both members of the feminist coalition Sama-Samang Inisyatiba sa Pagbabago ng Batas at Lipunan or SIBOL.

We were deeply involved in the advocacy for the passage of laws for women one of which was the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (Anti-VAWC) Act of 2004. Because of this, Sally and other leaders of the coalition did a lot of public activities including press conferences. Anti-VAWC became a law in 2004 or shortly before the alleged rebellion crime was committed by Sally in 2005. It does not make sense for her to be very publicly visible if indeed, she was a ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

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Sally was WCC’s ED until 2007. From the early 2000s onward, the WCC held offices at the East Avenue Medical Center, a government hospital where they continued providing services to VAW victims/survivors. This is where we would visit the WCC and talk to Sally when we needed assistance for survivors of abuse.

During her tenure with WCC, Sally spearheaded programs in partnership with the PNP in setting up their Women’s and Children’s Protection Unit (WCPU), training the police in handling VAW cases, and in the provision of services to VAW victims/survivors. According to former WCC staff and those who know, they did this program immediately before, or around 2005 when Sally was accused of committing the crime. It does not make sense for Sally to directly work with the PNP if indeed, she was with the CPP or if she committed any crime.

Sally was also actively involved in activities of the then National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) now Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). Thus, she has worked with various government agencies including even the PNP.

From the WCC, Sally transferred to the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT), an NGO on child rights. She has been serving as its National Coordinator until her arrest last Sunday. Her work with PACT has also been quite public. One cannot coordinate NGO operations if one was not accessible and visible.

Sally’s family said that she did not know that there had been a warrant for her arrest and that they were all very shocked when the police came to get her. The arresting officers were in civilian clothes. Because Sally was out jogging, the police waited for her. She requested to be able to change clothes but even that was rejected by the police. She was brought to Camp Crame where she continues to be detained.

From the day of her arrest, various organizations that have worked with Sally, as well as feminist leaders who had long work experience with her have issued statements protesting her arrest and attesting to her innocence. The groups call for the charges to be dropped and for her immediate release from police custody. We all know that Sally Crisostomo-Ujano is not a criminal.

During the PNP’s press briefing on her arrest, they alleged that Sally worked with CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison and other ranking CPP leaders, making it appear that she is a “big fish”, that she has EVADED arrest for many years, and that there is a P5 million bounty for her arrest.

The alleged crime was supposed to have been committed in 2005 when Sally was the ED of the WCC that held offices in a government hospital. She may, at that time, be also working with the PNP. All organizations that know WCC knew where they were and how to contact them, including Sally.

Her work with PACT is also very public. She has a Facebook account where a good number of her activities, both personal and official, are posted. Friends are now posting pictures of Sally in various activities connected with her work. The last time that I personally saw her was also during a public event. She was very easy to find because she was never in hiding. There was no reason for her to be.

The police’s claim that she has evaded arrest since 2006 is not only false, it is absurd.

Those who know Sally know that she is a very soft-spoken, mild-mannered, compassionate person. Her credibility and track record are built on solid work for decades. She has made important contributions to women’s and children’s rights in the country. Now, she is being destroyed by this so-called rebellion case.

I join the many NGOs and feminists calling on the police to immediately drop the charges and release Sally. Stop this injustice! #FreeSallyNow!

@bethangsioco   on Twitter   Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

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