Relissa Lucena is my guest on this episode of Coach Franco Says Podcast.  

Relissa Lucena is an activist Mother. She narrates on Coach Franco Says Podcast how her daughter AJ Lucena got recruited as a minor as an activist and would later on the go on a transformation journey that led to her leaving her home and dedicating her life on the streets.   

The traumatic experience led Relissa Lucena to dig deep into the organizations that possessed her daughter, which would, later on, reveal alleged ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines. When its armed group - The New People's Army were having encounters with the military, Relissa Lucena's motherly instincts led her to believe that her daughter's life is in danger.  

She found other parents that went through similar ordeals, and they all found themselves in the office of Senator Bato Dela Rosa which conducted a Senate inquiry regarding their plight. Relissa Lucena then tells Coach Franco Says Podcast how this led to them meeting former NPA rebels who shared their experiences and struggles as part of the armed rebellion.  

This pushed Relissa and her co-parents to collaborate with government efforts and the private sector to create "Yakap ng Magulang". This is a non-profit organization that aims to bring underage recruits back to their homes, expose the manipulative recruitment process of the CPP-NPA-NDF and create more awareness regarding the realities of communist recruitment in educational institutions.   

As of this recording, AJ Lucena is still not home with her family.  

You can support their cause by liking and following their projects via this page: https://www.facebook.com/yakapngmagulang 

Coach Franco Says takes you behind the scenes and tells the story straight from the people in it. Let this podcast episode be your source of inspiration, motivation and helpful tool in your daily lives.  I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. 

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