A group of parents staged a protest rally at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Intramuros Tuesday afternoon, demanding that the poll body deny the proclamation of Gabriela Partylist and its representative, Sarah Elago.
The demonstrators, who belong to the League of Parents of the Philippines and the Hands Off Our Children mothers’ group, accused Gabriela of allegedly recruiting their minor children into the armed struggle of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Among the protesters was Lucia Espina, head of the Hands Off Our Children group. Espina said her son, Louvin Espina, a student at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), was arrested in Agusan in May 2025 during a military checkpoint after leaving school to join the NPA.
“I was not aware that my son, who befriended Sarah Elago, will be brainwashed to the join the leftist group,” Espina said.
Another mother, Nena Cabildo, shared a similar account, stating her 17-year-old son remains missing. Mary Mariveles also protested, noting her daughter, Ana Frances, was first reported missing and later seen in a video as a member of the leftist group.
Jackylyn Gromeo recounted that her daughter, Queenylyn Gromeo, suffered severe injuries after being run over by a police vehicle during a protest at the US Embassy.
All the parents decried the alleged recruitment of their children into the communist armed struggle and called on the Comelec to block the representation of Sarah Elago and Gabriela in the House of Representatives.