Melito Glor

This account was taken from the column "You and the Law" by Atty. Raul Palabrica published in the December 5, 1998 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Melito Glor, in whose honor the New People's Army command in Southern Luzon is named, is an Upsilonian. We met in 1967 while we were both being initiated into membership in the Upsilon Sigma Phi. To his brods, Melito was fondly called "Spooks."

We knew Melito as the only child of an affluent family in Atimonan, Quezon. He enrolled in a pre-med course and looked forward to studying in the UP College of Medicine to be a fulltime doctor in his hometown.

He was not the "burn-the-midnight-oil" type of student and yet he consistently passed with above average ratings in all his subjects. He was well-liked by the brods because he was a take-charge guy who completed his assigned tasks quietly to meet the desired objectives.

The neophytes who were with Melito in joining the Fraternity remember him for the passion with which he espoused and defended whatever ideas or principles he believed in. When he took a stand or made up his mind on a certain issue, it was next to impossible to make him change his thinking.

Initially, Melito was apolitical about the events happening in the campus and in the country. National concerns were far from his mind as academic and social activities took much of his time.

Things changed after the violent student demonstration in front of Congress in January, 1970 where former President Marcos was heckled and stoned after delivering his state-of-the-nation address. This incident is fondly remembered by UP students as the beginning of the First Quarter Storm.

From then on, Melito actively participated in the succeeding student mass actions against the Marcos administration. He became a permanent fixture of the UP teach-ins and discussion sessions which analyzed the economic, social, and political problems of the country. With this new involvement, he became scarce in the Fraternity gatherings and, at one point, tried to dissociate hinself from it because the Fraternity then was considered the instrument of Mr. Marcos in the campus.

Melito was placed under surveillance by military agents. During those rare occasions that he drank beer with his brods, the presence of persons tailing him was unmistakable. In 1972, when martial law was declared, Melito disappeared from the scene. About a year later, we learned that he had gone up the mountains of Quezon province to carry on the armed struggle against the Marcos administration.

On several occasions, Melito dropped by the campus incognito to visit some of his close friends. When the members of the batch decided one time to celebrate the anniversary of their membership, the invisible grapevine of UP was tapped to pass on the word to Melito.

At about 9 p.m. of the day of the celebration, Melito, accompanied by two gaunt looking men, appeared at the party.

Everybody came out to greet him and asked why he was so dark complexioned, thin, and looking very sick. Without admitting that he had gone up the mountains (which we knew anyway), he said that he had been working under the sun for long periods of time and that food was rather scarce where he stayed.

Melito hardly partook of the sumptuous meal in the party and spoke only when talked to by those interested in knowing more about his activities. Political, social, and economic issues were purposely avoided for obvious reasons.

At past 11 p.m., Melito asked to be excused. Somebody inquired if there was any way we could help him as he did not look to be in good health. He answered that he was short of funds. The hat was passed around, and without counting, Melito put the money in his pocket and thanked all of us for the financial support. Melito shook hands with everybody. Then he was gone.

That was the last time we saw him. We lost contact completely. Sometime in 1978 or 1979, the newspapers reported the death of an NPA leader by the name of Melito Glor in an encounter in some remote area in Quezon province. No doubt, that was our "Spooks."

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