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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 16) – Baby River Emmanuel Nasino, the three-month-old daughter of detained activist Reina Mae Nasino, was buried on Friday. Until the final minutes of the grim reunion of mother and child, the tension held.
Before Baby River’s burial, police banned supporters outside the funeral home from displaying posters calling for justice for the death of the baby forced to be separated from her mother when she was just one month old. During the funeral march, the Kapatid advocacy group said police “kidnapped” the procession. Supporters and loved ones asked the driver who was transporting the remains to slow down because family members behind the vehicle were trying to chase them. But the pleas fell on deaf ears as the hearse even sped up.
When they reached Baby River’s final resting place in Manila’s North Cemetery, they were greeted by a handful of policemen, all wearing helmets and equipped with wooden sticks.
Nasino arrived in the afternoon for his last three hours with his firstborn. Dressed in full personal protective equipment and in handcuffs, the 23-year-old activist was surrounded by dozens of jail officers and police personnel when all she wanted to do was cry in peace.
His family appealed to the authorities to show some compassion and remove the chickens’ handcuffs, if only to hold their son, including through the coffin. His security escorts refused, forcing Nasino to do all that his body could do to touch the small coffin while it was bound by handcuffs.
The young mother regretted that she did not see her daughter laugh. Despite the challenges, Nasino, who was crying, remained full of hope that they will come out stronger.
“We were deprived of being together. I did not see your laugh. I will release myself more firmly. We are not here alone. Our pain will be short-lived. We will get up,” he said.
[Translation: We were deprived of our time together. I have not seen your laughter. I will come out stronger. We are not alone, the grief will not remain forever. We will rise again.]When her three hours were up, Nasino was taken back to her detention center in the Manila city jail.
This setting during the Baby River burial came as no surprise after Wednesday’s tense wake. The commotion came as dozens of jail bodyguards tried to prevent the activist from receiving questions from the media, leading her away from journalists before the prescribed end of her license.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condemned the actions of the Bureau of Penitentiary Administration and Penology and demanded an investigation. BJMP said it will analyze the allegations of exaggeration. The Interior Ministry defended the guards’ actions, saying they acted with restraint and professionalism despite being “abused by left-wing groups aligned with Nasino.”
A group of lawyers had fought for Nasino to visit his baby when River was battling lung complications in hospital. River died of pneumonia on October 9 without being reunited with his mother.
A local court initially gave him three full days to mourn with his family, but it was reduced to a total of six hours after the Manila city jail appealed that they did not have enough staff to secure the political detainee. However, during the wake, at least 40 armed prison officers and police surrounded her. Nasino was also very well guarded during the burial of her son.
Nasino and his two colleagues were arrested at Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s office on November 5 last year for possession of weapons and explosives. She said the evidence against her was planted and vowed to continue the fight against injustice for the sake of her son.
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