MANILA, Philippines - An award-winning writer yesterday cried foul over the surveillance of his house and his activities by suspected government intelligence agents.
Dr. Jun Cruz Reyes, a noted author and university professor, reported that last Sept. 13, a man approached him at an eatery at the compound of the University of the Philippines-Diliman and without his permission, took his picture before boarding a jeep.
Reyes is the second artist who complained of spying on his home in the recent days.
National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera had decried similar surveillance on his home last week.
The Marines admitted responsibility for the Lumbera incident and said it was part of a neophyte’s military training.
Reyes recounted that on the night of Sept. 13, a black van parked in front of his family’s house in Hagonoy, Bulacan for several minutes, apparently spying on their residence. Three days before or on Sept. 10, a white van with eight men parked for several minutes in front of his family’s house.
“I cannot understand the logic of all these,” Reyes said in a press conference at the UP-Diliman.
“I find this whole thing ridiculous.”
Reyes suspected that the spying was connected to the surveillance incident on Lumbera’s home since both of them protested Malacañang’s intervention in the conferment of this year’s National Artists.
In fact, he said the surveillance on him has been going on since three years ago.
Reyes said in 2006, he received a warning from councilor Elmer Santos that he was included in the Order of Battle of the Philippine Army in the region.
Reyes likewise claimed that sometime in August 2007, unidentified men attempted to barge into their house in Bulacan but failed when neighbors were roused by their barking dogs.
Days later, however, Reyes said
One of his dogs was poisoned.
In another incident in November 2007, he said a squad of armed, masked men in fatigue clothes went to his neighbor’s farm and offered P20,000 in exchange for information on his whereabouts.
“But I was never in hiding. Why should I hide in the first place? I did not do anything wrong to anyone,” Reyes pointed out.
“At first I was not taking these events seriously. I was busy with my doctoral degree at that time here in UP-Diliman. I was too engaged writing my dissertation for my doctoral degree.”
“But now as the days go by, I’ve been figuring out the continuous spying and threats on my life,” he said in Filipino.
“My life is in danger and there are attempts on my life but I do not know of any person who is mad at me because I am only a simple writer and painter, aside from being a professor,” Reyes added.
Lumbera, for his part, supported Reyes and believed that his experience “is harassment pure and simple.”
“But there is that possibility that there will come a day that they might just inflict harm on him,” Lumbera said.
Reyes is the author of two widely recognized books – “Utos ng Hari” and “Tutubi, Tutubi” – which both criticize dictatorship in the country.
Reyes could only surmise that the surveillance was because of the political points of view of his works.
Eight of the 10 books he has written garnered various awards or writing grants, including the Philippine Centennial Literary Prize, Catholic Mass Media Awards, Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, Gawad ni Balagtas, at Dangal ng Lipi Bulacan.
Reyes is also a member of the Institute of Creative Writing of UP and Philippine PEN.
“Premature to say AFP has something to do with it”
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was premature to say that the military has something to do with the spying on Reyes.
Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said it was too early to point an accusing finger at the military for allegedly spying on the multi-awarded writer.
“Sometimes the military is a convenient scapegoat. They would have to substantiate the allegations because it could be another group which is behind the incident,” he said. – With James Mananghaya