Political prisoners go on fasting until Aquino’s SONA

Nestor Corrales | Inquirer.net

MANILA, Philippines- Hundreds of political prisoners in the country started fasting on Friday until the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Benigno Aquino III on Monday.

“Political prisoners will start their fast today that will last until Aquino’s SONA on Monday to show their disgust to the government,” Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan said.

On Friday, militant groups from Karapatan and Selda staged a protest rally at the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, to demand the release of all political prisoners in the country.

Members of the militant groups held prison bars with photos of political prisoners demanding for their release and to jail lawmakers who pocketed billions of money through the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Palabay said Camp Crame has 12 political prisoners, including National Democratic Front leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon.

She said 400 political prisoners were detained across the country.

She condemned the special treatment accorded to rich and influential prisoners while political prisoners continue to languish in jails for years.

“The detention of activists and those perceived as enemies of the state and their condition inside jail poses a stark contrast with how Aquino treats the plunderers,” she said.

In a joint statement, political prisoners said, ” In our four-day fast, we want our voices be heard in condemning President Aquino for his sins against the people, especially his brutal counter-insurgency campaign, Oplan Bayanihan, his economic program the Public-Private Partnership and the DAP, his way of siphoning off the nation’s coffer.”

The militant groups said they would also stage protests on Monday when Aquino reports to the Filipinos his fourth Sona.

Pahayag ng Batangas 6 sa SONA 2014

Ilang SONA o State of the Nation Address na ang napakinggan namin, ang Batangas 6 mula kay Benigno Aquino III habang nakapiit sa loob ng mahigit apat na taon sa Batangas Provincial Jail at tulad pa rin ng dati, ito’y nagmimistulang isang sirang plaka na paulit-ulit na pinatutugtog ng kanyang rehimen upang patuloy na paniwalain at bilugin ang kamalayan ng sambayanan sa mga kasinungalingan ng diumao’y tuwid na daan.

Muli na naman tayong binigo ng kasalukuyang administrasyon. Patuloy tayong pinauulanan ng mga kasinungalingan, ng mga pangakong napapako, at sa halip na mga solusyon at aksyon ay malinaw na sa palala at sa pabulusok na kalagayan ang inihahain nito sa bansa. Kung noong SONA 2013 ay ipinahayag nito ang diumano’y pag wang-wang sa korapsyon at diumano’y pagpapanagot nito sa mga tiwaling upisyal ng gubyerno, sa taong ito naungkat ang tunay na umaalingasaw na baho ng kanyang administrasyon nang lumantad ang isyu ng PDAF at ang DAP kung saan nasasamantala ni Aquino ang paglalaan sa pondo ng bayan sa mga samu’t-saring kwestonableng proyektong hindi naman talaga napakinabangan ng mamamayan at kailanman hindi nakatulong sa masidhing problema ng mamamayan sa matataas na presyo ng bilihin, kawalan ng trabaho, lupa, tirahan, edukasyon, at sa halip ay lalong lumala ang abang kalagayan ng sambayanan. Ito ay sa kabila ng deklarasyon ng Korte Suprema na labag sa Saligang Batas ang DAP.

Patuloy pa rin ang pagtalikod nito sa usapin ng paglapat ng tunay na solusyon sa pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa bansa. Walang itong interes na ipagpatuloy ang usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng NDFP at ng kanyang gubyerno. Wala pa rin itong napapanagot sa mga tunay na kriminal na lumapastangan sa karapatang-tao ng mamamayan, wala pang naililitaw sa mga desaparecidos, wala pang napapanagot sa mga biktima ng ekstra-hudisyal na pagpatay at wala pang pinalalaya ni isa sa mahigit 400 bilanggong pulitikal sa bansa.

Ilan lamang ito sa napakadaming kasalanan ng Aquino sa mamamayan, at sa pagsapit ng araw ng kanyang SONA, pihadong hahaba lamang ang listahan ng kanyang mga kasinungalingan. Patuloy nating kinukundena si Aquino at kasabay ang mamamayan ipinapanawagan ng Batangas 6 na i-impeach si Aquino sa kanyang kapabayaan, korapsyon, kasinungalingan at paglabag sa saligang batas! Sapat na ang ilang taong panlilinlang at panloloko ng kanyang administrasyon. Wakasan na natin ang patuloy na pagpapahirap ni Aquino sa sambayanan at panagutin ito sa pagnanakaw sa yaman ng bansa at sa pagsasawalambahala sa mga karapatan, interes at panawagan ng mamamayan para sa hustisya, katotohanan, kapayapaan at kalayaan! Kaya sa darating na Hunyo 28, ipinapanawagan ng Batangas 6 sa mamamayang Pilipino na lumahok, tumayo, kumilos at ipahayag ang kanilang galit sa napakaraming anomalya, kasinungalingan at kasalanan ng rehimeng Aquino sa sambayanan at sama-sama nating igiit ang hustisya, karapatan at kalayaan!

PATALSIKIN SI AQUINO!

I-IMPEACH SI AQUINO!

IPAGPATULOY ANG USAPANG PANGKAPAYAPAAN SA PAGITAN NG NDFP AT NG GPH!

PALAYAIN ANG BATANGAS 6 AT ANG LAHAT NG BILANGGONG PULITIKAL!

Maricon Montajes

Ronilo Baes

Romiel Canete

Albert Custodio

Junver Tirasol

Jay-R Manalo

Political prisoners mount anti-SONA fast

Activists stage a protest in front of Camp Crame to demand the release of political prisoners (photo from Karapatan)

Interaksyon.com

July 25, 2014

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE – 3:23 p.m.) Political prisoners began a fast Friday that will last until Monday, when President Benigno Aquino III delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address, the human rights organization Karapatan said.

Joining the fast are detainees in Camp Crame, who include Benito Tiamzon, alleged chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, his wife Wilma Austria, and National Democratic Front consultants Eduardo Serrano and Renante Gamara; the New Bilibid Prison; and the Taguig City jail’s female dormitory at Camp Bagong Diwa, where Andrea Rosal, daughter of the late rebel spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, is incarcerated.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said the fast was meant to underscore the political prisoners’ “disgust” with the Aquino administration.

The Taguig detainees are also expected to stage a march inside the jail compound to protest “Aquino’s misuse of public funds through the creation of DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program),” key provisions of which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional.

“Ang patuloy na pagdepensa at pagtatanggol ng papet na rehimeng US-Aquino sa kasuklam-suklam na paglustay ng salapi mula sa kabang yaman ng bansa, dapat itong panagutin sa pamamagitan ng pagsasampa ng kasong kriminal, pagpapatalsik sa pwesto at paglalagay sa loob ng piitan,” (The continued defense of the US-Aquino regime of the disgusting plunder of public coffers should be held to account through criminal prosecution, ouster and jail),” a statement from the Taguig detainees said.

Also on Friday, Karapatan and the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto staged protest actions at Camp Crame and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to demand the release of political prisoners and the punishment of plunderers.

“The detention of activists and those perceived as ‘enemies of the state’ and their condition inside jails poses a stark contrast with how the BS Aquino treats the plunderers, especially the beneficiaries (and) defenders of the presidential pork. It is Aquino’s way of asserting his ‘ignorance’ in the said crime,” Palabay said in a statement.

At the OPAPP protest, Karapatan questioned the DAP funds given to the agency, P1.819 billion in 2011 and P248 million the next year, aside from its regular budget.

“Is the OPAPP deliberately evading public scrutiny by not including their proposed projects for proper allocation in the GAA? Did they find DAP as a way to evade scrutiny for the large amount of money that goes to OPAPP?” Palabay said.

She cited OPAPP’s acknowledgment that the 2012 funds were not included in the list of DAP-funded projects released by Malacanang.

At the same time, she said the huge outlay to the OPAPP, “supposedly spent for the peace initiatives of the government did not translate in concrete gains for the people. At best, only allies of the administration benefited from the DAP funds.”

Human rights activists stage a protest at the OPAPP (photo by Karapatan)

Palabay derided the government’s peace initiatives as “a business venture rather than a sincere effort to go into the root causes of the armed conflict and solve poverty, landlessness and joblessness.”

She also blasted the P264 million given to the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army and the P31 million to the Revolutionary Proletarian Army, former rebel groups that signed peace pacts with government but which the Karapatan official said had transformed into “paramilitary groups” accused of human rights abuses.

“The peace process should serve the interests of the majority of our people and not just a few groups that sow terror,” she said. “Through DAP the money stolen from the people are used against them. With OPAPP, it becomes worse as paying lip service to the peace process only denies the people of a venue where their basic social and economic problems can be discussed and solved.”

Gigi Reyes’ hospitalization again shows Aquino govt’s bias—SELDA

News Release

11 July 2014

“Whether true or imagined sickness, Gigi Reyes’ swift hospitalization without need of a court order is another showcase of the government’s soft spot for those accused of plunder,” said Jigs Clamor, spokesperson of SELDA (Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto).

“Nag-hysteria lang dinala na sa ospital,” was how prisoners at the female dorm of CBD described the brief stay of Reyes at the Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Reyes arrived at the CBD female dormitory at around 11:00 p.m. on July 9. “She did not even see her cell when Reyes went into hysterics.” She is now at the Taguig-Pateros Hospital, supposedly for anxiety attack, dyspepsia, heart problem and hypertension.

“If such ailment were the bases for Reyes’ hospitalization then the 50 other ailing political prisoners should be accorded the same. Most of them are elderly, too. Based on our experience, it takes at least a month for the court to process our motion for medical check-up. What happened to Andrea Rosal and her daughter Diona is still fresh in our collective memory,” Clamor said.

Several political prisoners died in jail because of inadequate, if not lack of medical attention. Despite persistent request of hospitalization, Allison Alcantara was only brought to the Philippine General Hospital when he went into coma. In September 2013, he died of fatal arrhythmia, sepsis and health-care associated pneumonia. Crisanto Fat also died of heart attack in September 2011.

Currently, SELDA has a long list of political prisoners who need proper medical attention. Among them are:

• Benny Barid – Pale and very thin, he is suffering from chronic asthma. After suffering from a series of asthma attacks, he has been in and out at the NBP Infirmary. He cannot stand up by himself and needs a wheelchair for mobility. Fellow political prisoners support his medical needs. His prolonged stay at the NBP Hospital makes him more vulnerable to various diseases.
• Rolando Pañamogan – In 2009, he was admitted twice, first at the NBP Hospital, and second at the Philippine General Hospital. He was diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction and pneumonia related to tuberculosis. He recovered from the said illnesses but was later diagnosed with hepatitis B and diabetes. His diabetes and asthma need more than first aid.
• The Alegre couple, Jesus and Moreta – both in their late 60s, are languishing in jail for almost 10 years now. The elderly couple’s imprisonment has made them sickly. Both are suffering from hypertension and arthritis. Moreta has a weak heart and moves very slowly. Their imprisonment has separated them from each other – Jesus and Selman are at the NBP Maximum Security Compound in Muntinlupa, while Moreta is at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.
• Gerardo dela Peña is 75 years old. Despite his age, he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment last year due to trumped-up charges of murder. After his arrest on March 2013, it took the court only 10 months to pin down Dela Peña. At his old age, his eyes are blurring. He also has poor hearing. He is detained at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) Reception and Diagnostic Center, awaiting transfer to the NBP Maximum Security Compound.
• Ramon Argente – had a triple heart bypass operation in 2013. After the surgery, he was brought back in detention at the PNP Custodial Center. He remains in a fragile condition, as he still experience difficulty in breathing and chest pains. Argente was undergoing medication when he was arrested. His health worsened while detained at the Camarines Norte Provincial Jail.  It took six months before his motion for hospitalization was granted. ###

Reference: Roneo Clamor, SELDA spokesperson, 0917-5965859

PANIC ATTACK KAMO? | 50 political prisoners ailing without proper care – rights group

Lira Dalangin-Fernandez | InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines — The hospitalization of lawyer Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes for a panic attack she suffered over fears of being detained with suspected communist rebels proves the government’s double standards in dealing with prisoners, rights activists and lawyers said Friday.

The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto, which advocates political prisoners’ rights, noted that there are around 50 ailing detainees, a number of them elderly, who languish in jail without proper medical care, and that some have, in fact, died because of this.

Among the most recent cases are the deaths of the daughter of Andrea Rosal, incarcerated although she was eight months pregnant when she was arrested, soon after she was born in May, Bilibid prisoner Allison Alcantara who was rushed to the Philippine General Hospital only after he went into a coma from which he did not recover in September last year, and Crisanto Fat who died of a heart attack in a Negros Occidental jail.

Rosal, daughter of the late communist rebel spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, was cleared of kidnapping with murder charges by the Pasic regional trial court but remains detained because of a pending murder charge before a court in Quezon province.

Reyes, who is accused with her former boss, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, of plunder and graft over the pork barrel scam, was admitted to the Taguig-Pateros Hospital late Tuesday night as she was being transferred to the female dormitory of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City on orders of the Sandiganbayan.

She has filed a motion for reconsideration of her commitment order, citing concerns over being locked up with nine alleged female rebels.

“Whether true or imagined sickness, Gigi Reyes’ swift hospitalization without need of a court order is another showcase of the government’s soft spot for those accused of plunder,” SELDA spokesman Jigs Clamor said.

He noted that it takes a month, on the average, for courts to process motions filed by political detainees to undergo medical examinations.

On the other hand, Rosal’s lawyer Edre Olalia said Reyes appeared “out of touch with reality and seems delusional” and suggested it might do Enrile’s chief of staff good to actually know and talk to the political prisoners.

Reyes was a known student activist when she studied at the University of the Philippines.

“If she sees her own demons in the company of principled, rational and dignified political prisoners she pejoratively labels as NPAs (New People’s Army) all, then she should really seek some professional help. They should not be the ones in jail in the first place,” Olalia, who is also secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, said.

“She might be jolted and humbled if she eventually discovers that these people she disdains and looks down at could probably be the most simple, humane, merciful and selfless people she could find. She might even be enlightened what the proximate cause is of the decrepit, filthy, infernal and squalid little hells we call jails,” he added.

“If contrived or feigned, then this is comical. If real, then by all means, let a doctor see her and give her immediate, necessary and appropriate medical care. But the rich and famous are not the only children of a greater god,” Olalia said of Reyes’ panic attack.

He also suggested a “medical convention of experts to validate the direct correlation between detention and worrisome illnesses and health disorders that affect only the rich. This is alarming already.”

SELDA said it holds “a long list of political prisoners who need proper medical attention,” and named some of them as:

• Benny Barid – Pale and very thin, he is suffering from chronic asthma. After suffering from a series of asthma attacks, he has been in and out at the NBP Infirmary. He cannot stand up by himself and needs a wheelchair for mobility. Fellow political prisoners support his medical needs. His prolonged stay at the NBP Hospital makes him more vulnerable to various diseases.

• Rolando Pañamogan – In 2009, he was admitted twice, first at the NBP Hospital, and second at the Philippine General Hospital. He was diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction and pneumonia related to tuberculosis. He recovered from the said illnesses but was later diagnosed with hepatitis B and diabetes. His diabetes and asthma need more than first aid.

• The Alegre couple, Jesus and Moreta – both in their late 60s, are languishing in jail for almost 10 years now. The elderly couple’s imprisonment has made them sickly. Both are suffering from hypertension and arthritis. Moreta has a weak heart and moves very slowly. Their imprisonment has separated them from each other — Jesus and Selman are at the NBP Maximum Security Compound in Muntinlupa, while Moreta is at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City.

• Gerardo dela Peña, 75 – Despite his age, he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment last year due to trumped-up charges of murder. After his arrest on March 2013, it took the court only 10 months to pin down Dela Peña. At his old age, his eyes are blurring. He also has poor hearing. He is detained at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) Reception and Diagnostic Center, awaiting transfer to the NBP Maximum Security Compound.

• Ramon Argente – had a triple heart bypass operation in 2013. After the surgery, he was brought back to detention at the PNP Custodial Center. He remains in fragile condition, as he still experiences difficulty in breathing and chest pains. Argente was undergoing medication when he was arrested. His health worsened while detained at the Camarines Norte Provincial Jail. It took six months before his motion for hospitalization was granted.

Manila RTC denied CIDG request to transfer Tiamzon couple out of Crame

PRESS RELEASE

June 18, 2014

“The BS government must first cease and desist from its double-standard treatment of NDFP peace consultants, other political as well as petty common crime prisoners, to inhumane prisons to make way for a red carpet jail for senator criminals and other plunderers, ” Karapatan chairperson Marie Hilao-Enriquez said on today’s hearing on Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria-Tiamzon, Rafael Baylosis, Randall Echaniz and Vicente Ladlad.

Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 Judge Thelma B. Medina today ruled on the request of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to transfer detention of NDFP peace consultants Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon from Camp Crame Custodial Center to a Bureau of Jail Management Penology prison facility. Hearing for the charge of multiple murder, Judge Medina conferred with the three other courts which issued commitment orders for the Tiamzon couple to be detained at Camp Crame General Headquarters of the Philippine National Police for being high value prisoners.

The Tiamzon couple are also facing fabricated charges of kidnapping with serious illegal detention at the Quezon City RTC, murder and frustrated murder in Laoang, Northern Samar and illegal possession of explosives in Toledo, Cebu.

The CIDG argued that the PNP does not have the capacity to secure the Tiamzon couple and should therefore be transferred to the detention facility where the cases against them are filed.

“Paanong walang kakayahan ang PNP kung hinahanda nga nila ang maaaring kulungan ng mga senador na nangurakot ng pera ng taumbayan?” (How is it that the PNP does not have the capacity [to detain the Tiamzon couple] when they are preparing the detention of senators who plundered the people’s money?) said Enriquez.

Karapatan, together with other progressive mass organizations, held a picket protest in front of the Manila Regional Trial Court during today’s hearing to call for the release of detained NDFP peace consultants and all political prisoners.

 

Photos from Kodao Production and Kathy Yamzon

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Footage from Karapatan.org

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2014

Art exhibit features works of political prisoners

Press Release

30 May 2014

“They cannot imprison the artist and the activist, in as much as they cannot imprison their struggle for just and lasting peace.”

An art exhibit featuring the works of political prisoners opens today at the lobby of the National Housing Authority. Titled “Artworks from Confined Spaces,” the exhibit features some of the works of political prisoners at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.

“Some of them began drawing or painting outside prison. Most of them were able to hone their talents while facing the hardships inside the walls of prison,” said Ilagan.

They are a combination of young and old political prisoners who were able to gather a collection of their works while inside different detention centers.

“They face various trumped-up charges, a far cry from their lifetime commitment to struggle for justice and democracy. It is such an injustice that they are robbed of their youth, they are denied of their freedom. Through this exhibit, let us see through the eyes of the political prisoners. As they say, we are inside the larger prison of society,” Ilagan said.

Featured political prisoners are peace consultants for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Tirso Alcantara, Alan Jazmines and Eduardo Sarmiento; youth activists-turned-peasant organizers Voltaire Guray, Reynaldo delos Santos, Hermogenes Reyes and Sandino Esguerra.

There are currently 482 political prisoners in the country. More than a hundred of them were arrested on trumped-up criminal charges under the Aquino government. The exhibit aims to echo the call to free all political prisoners.

Guray, one of the political prisoners, said he and his fellow political prisoners hope that their works will be seen by many people. “Ang mga likhang sining ang sisimbolo para ipaabot ang tuloy-tuloy naming pakikibaka kasama ang malawak na sambayanan sa labas ng bilangguan. Ito rin ang maghahatid ng aming kalagayan at karanasan, at ang kabulukan ng sistema sa loob ng bilangguan. Ang aming sining ay patuloy na maglilingkod sa sambayanan  (The artworks symbolizes our continuing struggle with the broad masses of the people outside prison. These also portray our situation and experiences, and the rotten system inside prison. Our art will continue to serve the people).”

The exhibit is a joint effort of the NHA Employees Union, the Confederation of Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), Concerned Artist of the Philippines (CAP), Bayan Muna, KARAPATAN and SELDA. It will run from May 30 to June 6. ###

Reference: Bonifacio Ilagan, SELDA vice-chairperson 0908-8124781

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos by: Emmanuel Halabaso

Day before the exhibit 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

PAHAYAG NI ANDREA ROSAL HINGGIL SA DESISYON NG KORTE SA KANYANG PAGDALAW SA BUROL AT LIBING NG KANYANG ANAK

Andrea Rosal embraces her daughter, baby Diona Andrea, for the first and last time
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Ipinagkait na naman sa akin ang pagkakataon na makasama nang matagal ang anak ko sa huling sandali. Napaka iksi naman ng 3 oras.

Di bale sana kung buhay sya, kahit kaunting oras lang kami magkita ngayon, dahil alam ko paglaya ko makikita ko sya, pero huling pagkakataon na ito na makakasama at makikita ko sya.

Mga magulang din kayo, alam nyo ang pakiramdam ng isang magulang para sa anak, kapag magkakawalay kahit sandali. Lalo na kaya pag kagaya ko na wala na ang anak ko.

Natakot ako noon na maging isang ina dahil alam kong mahirap. Pero nang malaman ko na buntis ako, napakasaya ko. Naging maingat ako, at gusto kong maging malusog sya. Pero nangyari nga na naaresto ako, at nahirapan sa pagkakapiit.

Malungkot na malungkot ako, hindi na nga ako pinayagang makasama sa libing ang anak ko, sobrang iksi pa nang oras para makita ko siya sa burol. Hindi ba sapat na nawalan ako ng anak? …

ANDREA ROSAL
Political Detainee
BJMP-Camp Bagong Diwa Female Dorm

SELDA to PNP chief Purisima: Jail the crooks, free all political prisoners

Andrea Rosal embraces her daughter, baby Diona Andrea, for the first and last time
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

News Release

20 May 2014

Rights group SELDA (Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto) lambasted orders made by PNP Director General Alan Purisima to clear up detention cells at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City to make way for so-called “VIP detainees” implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

According to SELDA, Gen. Purisima’s order of providing decent jail for legislators accused of plunder reeks of double standard treatment for inmates in Philippine jails.

“They have yet to charge and arrest these legislators implicated in the pork scam but they are already thinking of comfortable prison cells for these alleged plunderers. At any rate, there should be no special treatment, especially to those who are accused of plunder,” SELDA national coordinator Roneo Clamor said.

The group, on the other hand, criticized the subhumane condition of prison facilities in the country, which is way below minimum international standards.

“The PNP rushes to provide decent detention to VIP offenders because they know very well that prison facilities in the country are beyond habitable for human beings. Prisoners are in cramped and poorly-ventilated cells. They receive insufficient food rations, and they lack of medical services,” explained Clamor.

Among those who suffer such conditions are political prisoners who languish in jails for crimes they do not commit, according to Clamor.

“Political prisoners are consistenly maligned by the state. They are accused of trumped-up charges to justify their imprisonment. They are made to suffer under such conditions in a bid to silence their dissent,” Clamor said.

Also detained in the PNP Custodial Center are NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) peace consultants Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria-Tiamzon, Reynante Gamara, Eduardo Serrano, and other political prisoners Ramon Argente, Dionisio Almonte and wife Gloria Almonte.

“Is Purisima’s folly idea to purge the current 70 inmates in Crame really designed to declog the custodial center of prisoners or a continuing scheme to silence political prisoners and hide the great divide in the treatment of inmates?” Clamor added.

SELDA also assailed the deplorable condition of political prisoner Andrea Rosal, daughter of the late Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, former spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines, prior to the death of her child.

The group joined other sectors in holding government state forces and agencies accountable on the death of baby Diona Andrea.

Rosal was arrested on March 27 on trumped-up charges of murder, among others. At the time of her arrest, she was seven-months pregnant.  Rights groups reported that she was denied of proper medical attention while in detention at the Taguig City Jail Female Dormitory.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners states, “In women’s institutions, there shall be special accommodation for all necessary pre-natal and post-natal care and treatment.”

SELDA is calling for the release of more than 400 political prisoners, including peace consultants, the sick, elderly and those who have served a long time in prison. ###

Reference: Roneo Clamor, SELDA national coordinator, 0917-5965859