Historical timeline and milestones

• Studied BS Public Health
• Association: League of Filipino Students – College of Arts and Sciences, UP Diliman
• Killed by members of a Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) during an encounter in Bicol

As remembered by family and friends

“His memory is forever etched in the long list of people’s martyrs.” — A friend and fellow activist

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“Amer came from a wealthy family in Bulacan who ensured his needs while he pursued his dreams to become a doctor. He would go home on some weekends and return to the campus with his weekly allowance, food supplies, and clean clothes. Although he was not a fancy dresser, he was always neat, and usually wore white shirts and jeans.

While most of us were full-time activists with delinquent academic standing, Amer was a diligent student. He was known for his generosity, offering his rented studio to groups for meetings and even serving food to those gathered. However, from time to time, he would notify us about his study schedules and request privacy so he could concentrate on reviewing for his exams. Perhaps in his mind, if he were at the crossroads of choosing his future path, he would opt to work full-time for the movement but not because he failed in his studies. At the time he decided to join the armed resistance against the Marcos dictatorship, Amer was on track with good grades to take up Medicine.

One of my fond memories of Amer was during a large demonstration in Mendiola. It lasted until the following morning. When rallyists woke up, a mass was started by a group of priests and the religious who also slept at the overnight rally.  In the middle of the mass, the police attacked the everyone! We were on a “kapit-bisig” (locked arms) stance. He stood between me and another female comrade. Although he was not tall, his stocky figure made me think that he was stronger than me. He held our arms tight, and led us inside an alley. Luckily, we were able to enter a house and evaded the police running after the demonstrators. He had a firm disposition during emergencies.” — A friend and fellow activist

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“On the outside, Amer may look quiet and not fond of flirting with girls, but I remember him bringing his beautiful high school girlfriend to campus to join our activities. 

He was about to transfer from UP Diliman to UP Manila to pursue higher courses in public health during the academic year of 1985 to 1986, but he changed his mind and wrote his parents to inform them of his decision. I think he also broke up with his girlfriend before he left.” — A friend and fellow activist

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“I don’t remember talking to him about why he decided to go to the countryside, but we accompanied him to the bus station and bade our goodbyes. Before bringing him to the bus station, we ate at the cooperative carinderia heartily and he even joked that this was his last supper.

After that, we never heard from him. Sometimes, we heard of him from his companions in the countryside who visited the campus from time to time. They said that Amer had the reputation of being the best basketball and chess player in the area where he was assigned. Of course, he had a lot of practice during our student days when we spent our time playing chess at the second floor lobby or at the student council center. He reminded his companions to relay his feat to us and to the one who also beat him in chess.

He planned to go home and visit his family that summer of 1988 after two years of service but an ambush changed that plan. He told his comrades to escape the military while he stayed out and prevented their encroachment. It was a consistent protective character of Amer to ensure his companions’ safety over his own.” — A friend and fellow activist

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“Amer played a significant role in my story as an activist in the ‘80s. He was the last person who could play hero to a naïve activist like me. He was distant. He’d sit in one corner of the tambayan and brood while watching passersby. I do not remember if he was one of the “dragons” who puffed cigarettes endlessly. He looked like an overgrown child with his apple-cut hairdo and had some extra flesh that made him chubby. When he smiled, a silver-rimmed tooth peeped out of his mouth. He spoke with a singsong intonation typical of a Bulakeño. He was generally nice but I hated it when he said, “Hindi ako pyudal”.

I distinctly remember that time when we barricaded Palma Hall to protest a tuition fee hike. Another female League of Filipino Student member and I were trying to move a heavy bench to block the stairs. The bench was so heavy, we could only move it inch by inch with much pushing and shoving. Amer was right there watching while repeatedly saying, “Hindi ako pyudal. Hindi ako pyudal.” It meant that he had no intention to help us. “Oh shit! Asshole!” I muttered under my breath.

Other than such instances, we were generally nice to each other. We’d attend rallies with other LFS members, but we didn’t converse much about our personal lives. I didn’t even know that his full name was Emmanuel. I remember one rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio where a fair-skinned lady with a sweet and beautiful face approached him. One of our colleagues whispered, “That is Amer’s girlfriend.” We were all surprised because he was his usual distant self. “Ano ba naman si Amer? Ang ganda-ganda ng girlfriend niya,  di naman niya pinapansin,” whispered one of us. We spent the whole time watching them and wondering what kind of relationship they had.

How was I to know that one day Amer would play the hero to me?  We were in a sympathy rally in Katipunan with jeepney drivers who were protesting. We marched all the way from UP Diliman toward Katipunan, in front of Gate 3 in Ateneo de Manila University. Suddenly, all hell broke loose and the crowd scampered in all directions.I won’t forget that scene: everyone running towards the main gate of Ateneo, policemen in full battle gear chasing us, firing rubber bullets at the protestors. The security guards manning Gate 3 of Ateneo opened the gate and let the UP students in. There was pushing and shoving. I fell to the ground. I tried to stand up but I couldn’t because my knee was badly hurt. I could feel the sting and the swelling. As the police were drawing closer to where I lay, somebody offered a helping hand. I extended my hand and the person gripped it tightly to pull me up and take me out of harm’s way. When I turned to look at the face of this hero, it saw Amer with a determined expression on his face. “Bilisan mo!” he said as he propped me up and helped me run away from our pursuers. There was no looking back. We just kept running and the adrenaline made me forget my injured knee. We were one of the last persons who made it to Ateneo before the guards closed the gates. A few rallyists didn’t make it, among them my secret crush Lean Alejandro, JV Bautista, and dormmate Tess Trinidad. They were arrested by the police and brought to prison. I sat on the pavement, shaken to the core. All I could say to Amer was, “Salamat. Salamat!” From then on, Amer became my favorite buddy during rallies and mass mobilizations.

Years later, I left the organization and began taking my studies seriously. I lost communication with friends from LFS. One time, while I was having lunch with friends, somebody broke the news that Amer was dead. I tried to swallow a lump in my throat. “How did he die?” I asked. Apparently, he left UP to join the New People’s Army. The day he died, somebody tipped off the military that a group of NPA members were in the area. The military chased them. The details that I got were hearsay – that the military told them to run after which they were chased by a hail of bullets – like a scene from the movies. Amer was one of the casualties. Were they captured alive and then tortured or were they killed on the spot? I shed tears that night as I was saying my evening prayers.

As a Catholic, the best way of honoring departed friends and loved ones is to remember them in my prayers, especially during the novena for All Saints’ Day. Amer, my college “frenemy-turned-hero”, is one of those I remember fondly in my prayers.” — A friend and fellow activist

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