To the Mother of Jerlyn Rose Doydora

Grief often carries anger, and that is understandable. But to claim that she was a victim of Kabataan Partylist is not accurate. She died as a result of military action. While organizations may shape ideas and inspire advocacy, her decisions were her own, and there was nothing unlawful in the path she chose.

I’m so sorry for your loss. Your daughter died due to the military aerial bombing and strafing in the community. She was unarmed. That is an undisputed fact.

She was a young woman who made a conscious, selfless choice to stand with people she believed were being oppressed. You may not have agreed with that choice, but it was hers alone, and it was not illegal.

 

 

People grieve in different ways, and your anger is understandable. She was a victim, yes, but to say she was a victim of Kabataan Partylist (KPL) is not truthful. She died due to the military atrocities, not by KPL. KPL may have influenced her, that may be true, but there was nothing illegal about that, and nothing illegal in what she chose to do. She acted of her own will, guided by her convictions.

However, parroting military narratives about her does not honor who she was or the convictions she lived by. Respecting her means acknowledging her humanity and the values she held so deeply, even in the face of profound grief.

I hope that, in time, there will come a moment when you are able to see just how honorable your daughter was, and to recognize the courage and compassion that guided her choices.