Alleged 'missing' activist accuses parents of detaining her twice

Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The alleged “missing” activist who has been the subject of a Senate investigation and a slew of criminal raps before the Department of Justice has turned the tables on her parents, accusing them of detaining her twice.Alicia Lucena, in her sworn statement submitted before a DOJ panel of prosecutors Tuesday, refuted her mother’s allegations that she was allegedly brainwashed by the militant youth group Anakbayan into joining the New People’s Army.“Ang totoo, tumakas talaga ako sa poder ng aking mga magulang at nanatiling kasapi ng Anakbayan dahil hindi ko na kaya [ang] ginagawa nilang pagmamalupit at pananakit sa akin,” she said.Lucena’s mother, Relissa, was among those who testified before the Senate in August claiming their children were missing after allegedly being recruited by leftist groups.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/07/19/at-senate-hearing-parents-lament-kids-recruitment-into-leftist-groups">At Senate hearing, parents lament kids&#x27; recruitment into leftist groups</a></li></ul>In August, she executed a complaint-affidavit accusing Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, and other officers and members of Kabataan party-list and Anakbayan youth group of trafficking and child abuse, among other raps.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">Mother Resilla Lucena narrates her daughter’s (Alicia) story. Alicia, according to her, was recruited by Anakbayan. Lucena appeals for help so she can be reunited with her 17 y/o daughter, who is no longer communicating with her. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/sherieanntorres?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sherieanntorres</a> <a href="https://t.co/GJBUC1HaUG">pic.twitter.com/GJBUC1HaUG</a>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1158929203464556545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/22/19/kidnap-raps-vs-leftists-weak-absurd-colmenares">Kidnap raps vs leftists &#x27;weak, absurd&#x27;: Colmenares</a></li></ul>Also included as respondent was Tom Villarin who was mistakenly referred to as “Anakbayan Party-list” representative. Villarin was a former representative of Akbayan Party-list which does not share the same ideology as Anakbayan. Anakbayan is also not a party-list group.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/20/19/doj-summons-colmenares-youth-party-list-groups-over-missing-activist">DOJ summons Colmenares, youth party-list groups over missing activist</a></li></ul>In her sworn statement, Lucena claimed her mother got furious when she joined Anakbayan.Amidst disagreements, she first left her house in February this year. She returned 3 days after, only to be locked inside the house and her phone and other gadgets confiscated.She again sneaked away while attending mass on March 10 this year, returning home only after her mother allegedly threatened her that she will file charges against her colleagues Charlie del Rosario alias Charie, Bianca Gacos alias Bianca, and Jayroven Villafuente Balais, who were all named respondents in the complaint before the DOJ.For the second time, Lucena claimed her parents locked her inside the house on May 25.She said they even brought her to Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Bagong Diwa to speak to a colonel and a former NPA rebel, in an effort to convince her to leave Anakbayan and join the military instead.“Galit na galit ako sa ginawa nila mommy at daddy. Dahil hindi ko na talaga kaya ang ginagawa sa akin, tumakas ako ulit noong July 10, 2019 at hindi na bumalik pa sa kanila hanggang ngayon,” she said.“Hindi ako ‘missing.’ Umalis talaga ako sa bahay dahil hindi ko na kinakaya ang ginagawa niyang pang-aabuso, pagkulong at pangrerepress sa akin. Hindi niya rin alam na dahil sa ginagawa niya, mas lalo lang niya akong nilagay sa panganib,” she added, claiming she has received death threats and hate messages on social media.Lucena’s affidavit was submitted as an attachment to the counter-affidavit of some of the respondents.In the same hearing at the DOJ Tuesday, Colmenares and Elago also showed up to refute the allegations against them.Colmenares said he was only included in the complaint as an afterthought as he was only mentioned in passing in an affidavit and was not included in the investigation data form filed by Lucena’s mother.Elago, for her part, said the allegations were “unfounded, injurious, and have no basis in law.”The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) entered its appearance to represent the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, a move questioned by respondents.The OSG also represents the CIDG in the sedition complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo and more than 30 others over the alleged ouster plot against the President.The OSG manifested they will file a reply-affidavit on October 24, 2019.

MANILA – The alleged “missing” activist who has been the subject of a Senate investigation and a slew of criminal raps before the Department of Justice has turned the tables on her parents, accusing them of detaining her twice.

MANILA – The alleged “missing” activist who has been the subject of a Senate investigation and a slew of criminal raps before the Department of Justice has turned the tables on her parents, accusing them of detaining her twice.

Alleged 'missing' activist accuses parents of detaining her twice | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Horoscope

News

Alleged 'missing' activist accuses parents of detaining her twice

Alleged 'missing' activist accuses parents of detaining her twice

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 12, 2019 08:10 AM PHT

Read More:

Alicia Lucena

youth activist

Anakbayan

Kabataan Party-list

Neri Colmenares

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.