Pablo Tariman sought solace again in poetry upon hearing the news of another death in the family. The journalist on 30 November announced on Facebook that his son-in-law Ericson Acosta, husband of his daughter Kerima, was killed in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.

A spokesperson of the National Democratic Front-Negros said Acosta, who was an NDF consultant, was captured, along with a peasant organizer, by the military and, "a few hours after, tagged them as casualties of a fake encounter."

The military claimed it was an encounter.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. said Acosta was an NDF consultant for the drafting of the agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms and participated in the formal peace talks and discussions of the reciprocal working committees in 2016 until 2017.

Just three months prior, on 20 August, Kerima Tariman was likewise killed in an "encounter" in Silay, also in Negros Occidental.

"Gone at fifty/With just his poems/For his only son to peruse," Tariman wrote. "No more time to grieve/The container of sadness is dry/From previous year's constant grief…"

Though apparently numbed by the successive tragedies, Tariman was lucid in his answers to this email interview with Daily Tribune.

Daily Tribune (DT): When did you first meet Ericson and what was your first impression of him?
Pablo Tariman (PT): I first saw him in the BLISS condo where we used to live. He was always with my daughter Kerima. It turned out they were both staff members of the UP Collegian. They would invite me to their UP cultural shows. Months later, I realized they were both 'married' to poetry and pursuing the same passion and the same critical view of Philippine society. Months before their son Emmanuel was born in 2003 in Ligao, Albay, they got married in a civil ceremony in Legazpi City. From then on, I hardly saw them except when they visited occasionally.

DT: Was he already married to Kerima when he was imprisoned?
PT: They got married in 2003 in Albay. He was imprisoned in Calbayog, Samar in 2011. The case was dismissed by the Department of Justice under Leila de Lima. But it was Public Attorney's Office chief Persida Acosta (not related to Ericson) who processed his release from Calbayog Jail by personally visiting him. She brought with her a government medical doctor and certified he needed medical treatment at once.

DT: He was imprisoned for two years and was released when the Justice Department dropped the charges of possession of explosives. Do you believe he was just framed up?
PT: I believe so. The military has become notorious for planting evidence just to get hold of their subject. They wanted Ericson back in jail while Persida Acosta and party were already at Calbayog airport and about to leave for Manila. When the military arrived at Calbayog airport, we were on our way to Manila.

DT: Ericson and Kerima were activists who joined the rebel movement because they wanted change. Did you ever discuss their circumstances? If yes, how did the conversations go?
PT: I respected their views and decision. There was no way I could stop them. When Kerima was incarcerated in an Isabela jail in 2000 and later released in 2001, I thought she would change and leave the movement. She didn't, and I allowed her the freedom to choose her path along with Ericson. I took care of their son and that was enough for me.

DT: Éricson was a poet and musician who used his art to try to change society. Would you say his death, as well as that of Kerima, were unnecessary and a waste of human lives?
PT: I have learned to accept the fact that theirs weren't senseless deaths. Their demise has opened eyes to the fact that we have a hopeless government, especially after the last two elections. How can I convince them to lead "normal lives," when every day the headlines are about corruption in government and killings?

DT: What are your insights on the long-running communist rebellion in the country? Do you still hope for peace in your lifetime?
PT: Rebellion has been with us since time immemorial. It is a recurring movement and that's because the government hasn't addressed the basic ills in society. For as long as there is social inequality, for as long as corruption continues, rebels will continue to offer an alternative, or at least open eyes. Politicians won't offer their lives to the country. At least the rebels do. And that's the reason I insist theirs weren't senseless deaths. You need fresh blood flowing to awaken society. For that reason, I respect their choices, even if they paid for it with their lives.