Kin says Burgos house in QC being watched

Unidentified motorcycle-riding men have been casing the house of missing activist and Burgos scion Jonas Joseph "J.J." Burgos, his brother said Thursday. Burgos' brother J.L. said the men would pass by their house in Quezon City and did not bother to hide from some of the family's friends. "Isang incident lang yan na nakita naming may nagsusubaybay. Sa bahay namin iyan sa Quezon City (In one incident, we saw some men conducting surveillance on our house in Quezon City)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the men even followed one of his colleagues for "10 to 30 minutes," making U-turns and even stopping in front of him. J.L. said the experience was frightening for his colleague and would be more so for farmers whom J.J. worked with. "Nakakatakot ito sa ordinaryong magsasaka at estudyante na walang kakilala sa media (This would be scary for farmers and students who do not know anyone in media)," he said. Members of the Burgos family went to Tartaro village in San Miguel where J.J. helped local farmers in the area. After a candle-lighting ceremony there, they were to march near local military bases in the area, and then hold another candle-lighting at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City Thursday night. They also plan to stage another protest march in Metro Manila Friday. Police have formed a task force to look for J.J., even as the victim's mother Edith had personally appealed to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Tuesday for help. "Madam president, ako ang umaasa dahil kayo ang nagsabi, 'let the president do her job.' Ito po ay nilulutang ko sa lahat ng tao. Tayo na humusga kung talagang gagawin ng presidente ang kanyang trabaho (Madam president, I am banking on your earlier pronouncement to 'let the president do her job.' You are a mother too and you understand my pain. This is why I have made public my son's disappearance. How you act will give the people basis to judge whether you are indeed doing your job)," she had said in an interview on dzBB radio. Former President Corazon Aquino had also appealed on behalf of the Burgos family, wishing that nothing happens to Jason. Burgos, a trainor of Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan, disappeared along with Melissa Reyes and an unidentified male at the Ever Gotesco shopping mall on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City at 6 p.m. Saturday. AMB is a local chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), many of whose members were killed in past years. Jonas is the son of the late Jose "Joe" Burgos Jr., former publisher and editor of the We Forum and Malaya newspapers, a pioneer of the alternative press during Martial Law. The elder Burgos was an awarded journalist and known civil libertarian and defender of press freedom until his death in 2003. - GMANews.TV