In an alternate universe, Kal Peralta would have been a film director. The stories she made within and beyond the university would have turned into movies and she would have made a name for herself in the limelight. But Kal believed in a goal that goes beyond her own comfort, one that is dedicated to improving the lives of others.
On April 10, she and three other comrades of the revolutionary group New People’s Army (NPA) were summarily executed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and police in Bukidnon. Contrary to state reports, witnesses claim that they were unarmed and unable to fight.
Kal is remembered for her contagious laugh and principles as an activist. After almost a decade, Kal returned to her second home in UP Diliman (UPD) where she studied film. Among her friends and family once again, her homecoming as a hero of the people’s struggle stood as a symbol of the continuing fight.
/Ito ang huling gabi/
Kal never had the chance to finish her thesis, “Bago Mag-SONA.” In this piece, the protagonist Alex saw the systematic oppression suffered by farmers and indigenous people who were coerced to serve corporate interests.
During Kal’s memorial, the UP Repertory Company performed an excerpt of the script. In the end, like Alex, Kal brought her activism to where such vicious cycle happens, choosing to become a red fighter known as Ka Rekka.
Despite being brought up in a comfortable home, she chose the unordinary path of service to the masses. It may come as a shock to her parents, but they said that the path she took is the epitome of her activism.
“Ang anak ang dapat naglilibing sa kanyang mga magulang. Walang kasing sakit para sa aming mga magulang ni Kal ang mawalay siya sa amin sa murang edad,” said her father, Dino. “Ngunit ang pag-aalay ng sariling buhay ng walang pagiimbot upang mapabuti ang buhay ng iba ang pinakadakilang layon sa mundong ibabaw.”
Kal’s friends describe her as smart and full of grit, especially when it comes to softball. When she entered UPD in 2009, she juggled being a varsity player and a student. Her workload became heavier when she became an activist, becoming the chairperson of STAND UP-College of Mass Communication and League of Filipino Students. Despite this, Kal persisted in her academics and games, winning some medals at tournaments with her team.
Yet it was during mobilizations that Kal established her legacy in her colleagues’ memories. Her college friends recall her doing the loudest chants at mobilizations from Palma Hall to Mendiola. In those moments, she carried with her the stories told by indigenous peoples, farmers, and workers.
Her colleagues saw Kal’s intense passion to serve when she led a protest outside the UP School of Economics on September 17, 2014 against then Budget Secretary Butch Abad on the Disbursement Acceleration Program. The program was set to allow the government to disburse funding for projects without plenary discussions in Congress.
Against the heavy security, Kal forced her way through and tried to talk to Abad who failed to address the students’ concerns. Her friends recall her sustaining scratches on her knees. But her smile was the feat of the afternoon that they would never forget.
“Iyakin siya sa hiwaga at kapangyarihan ng sama-samang pagkilos. Sa kanya, natutunan namin na hindi laging masama ang magpakita ng emosyon basta tiyak ka saan dadalhin ito,” said Kara Taggaoa, Kal’s friend during her time in UPD.
Kal’s ultimate decision to join the armed struggle in Mindanao came as no surprise to her friends. For them, her dedication to the cause for true freedom is unparalleled and her decision to become a revolutionary has shown just that.
/kung san tayo magkikita/
With a state that perpetuates a vicious cycle on its people, revolutionaries are treated as mere violent combatants. But as a revolutionary, Kal exemplified the essence of what it means to serve the people. In the countryside, she served as a teacher, mentoring her comrades using old notebooks and pens.
“Kahit minsan nahihirapan sa pag-bi-Bisaya, pinipilit niyang ipaintindi sa aming ang mga mahahalagang punto [ng aralin],” Gab, Kal’s fellow revolutionary recalled through a letter. “ Yung tinuruan nga ni Rekka magsulat ay gumagawa na ng sulat para sa kanyang pamilya.”
In Mindanao, Kal worked for the liberation of farmers and indigenous communities from the state’s oppressive hold that usually ends with violence for the communities. Indigenous peoples’ communities in Bukidnon have been at the receiving end of state-sponsored attacks as they try to protect their ancestral lands from corporate interests.
On the day she was killed, Kal was unarmed, according to witnesses. Under the International Humanitarian Law, Kal should have been recognized as a person hors de combat—a fighter unable to fight or defend themselves. The proper procedure requires the military to ensure that they are unharmed, detained, and tried in court.
Kal’s death underlines the directionless promise of the state in pursuing peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Years of negotiations led to several agreements that ensure the upholding of humanitarian laws as the protracted people’s war persists, including the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, among others. The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, still fails to honor such an agreement, continuing its legacy of violence.
There have been 67 cases of summary executions since Marcos took office in 2022, a report by human rights group KARAPATAN revealed. As such were the case for “clash-caused” deaths of revolutionaries like Hannah Jay Cesista, the Balayan, Batangas massacre that included civilian casualties.
The stories of her time in Mindanao, as told by her comrades, show Kal’s struggle. As a supply officer, she is remembered for being hardworking and helpful to her comrades. At one point, Kal had to carry a 40-kilo bag in steep and muddy terrain and yet smiled all the way through. Because despite the hardships of her path, Kal persevered, growing more optimistic each day that victory of the masses was forthcoming.
/ang liham ng iniwang pag-ibig/
Kal’s story lives on in those she left behind.
Like every youth, Kal had dreams—but one that was more than for herself. While her life was cut short, it bears the meaning of the struggle of every marginalized person, from the city to the countryside.
“Maraming nagsasabi na mahirap tularan ang ginawa ng aming anak dahil naitaas niya ang antas ng paglilingkod ngunit ang paglilingkod sa taumbayan ay walang pinipiling gulang, estado sa buhay, kakayahan o panahon,” Dino said.
From UP to the mountains of Mindanao, Kal left a legacy that challenges every student and youth to struggle with the masses. The story of her bravery and perseverance amid tears is a testament that every step of the movement toward true liberation is a noble cause.
Kal would still be a revolutionary—no matter the cost or sacrifice. Because in every imaginable realm of existence we may think of, Kal would have still chosen the same path she chose in this world: to fight for a society where such oppressive systems no longer exist, where there would no longer be a need for an alternative. ●
