Alfredo Mapano, accused as a top ranking  official of the New Peoples Army faces criminal charges before the  Region X Regional Trial Court. As one of the NDFP consultant to the  peace talks, Mapano is guaranteed by the Joint Agreement on Safety and  Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) his security and immunity from detention.  His case proves of the insincerity of the previous and present regimes  in upholding the agreement.

Bp. Rudy Juliada, IFI leads the closing prayer

NEWS RELEASE
December 4, 2010
For reference: FR. DIONITO CABILLAS, Secretary General, SELDA (09175965859)

POLITICAL PRISONERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY HOLD HUNGER STRIKES, SOLIDARITY FASTS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF MORONG 43 AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS

The Samahan ng mga Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of former political prisoners in the country, today announced the solidarity protests conducted in jails and detention centers all over the country for the immediate release of the Morong 43 and all 371 political prisoners.

Fr. Dionito Cabillas, SELDA Secretary General and a convenor of the Free the 43 Health Workers Alliance, said ninety nine (99) political prisoners conducted and have continuing solidarity actions with the illegally arrested and detained health workers.

Five of them are on hunger strike in detentions centers in Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila, while the rest are on solidarity fasting, including National Democratic Front consultants Ed Serrano and Ed Sarmiento and Sandino Esguerra who have been detained for eleven years now. The solidarity actions, which were conducted starting December 3, include hunger strikes, fasting, mass, rallies and programs inside the detention facilities participated in by political prisoners and other inmates. (Please see attached matrix of political prisoners who are participating in the solidarity actions)

“We salute the Morong 43 and all political prisoners in the Philippines in their hunger strike which started on December 3, 2010. The hunger strike and solidarity actions are strong political statements of strength and unity amid efforts of the Aquino government to impede the release of the Morong 43 and all political prisoners in the country. Thus, the hunger strike of the Morong 43 and the solidarity fast of political prisoners are not only legitimate, these actions are most justified. Pres. Aquino should immediately release the Morong 43 and all political prisoners now,” Cabillas said.

According to SELDA and Karapatan, there were 2, 059 victims of illegal arrest under the Arroyo government, 579 of them are human rights defenders. 333 of them are women and 112 of them are minors at the time of their arrest. Among these victims are the Morong 43. While Pres. Aquino has called their arrest and the warrant used for their arrest as “fruits of the poisonous tree,” he has not pursued the withdrawal of charges against them and their unconditional release because of his apparent amiable relations with the so-called “security sector” of the state, which includes the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Security Council. In the first four months of the new Aquino government, there are already thirteen (13) political prisoners, among the 23 victims of illegal arrest and detention. Sixteen out of the 23 were victims of torture.

“SELDA attributes this directly to Aquino’s continued implementation of the Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL), Arroyo’s former counter-insurgency policy which has spawned the extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal arrests and trumped up charges against activists and supporters. Aquino’s upcoming counter-insurgency policy can only result to more victims of illegal arrests and arbitrary detention, EJKs, enforced disappearances and thousands of more human rights violations,” he ended.
 

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The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) - Philippines is an organization of former political detainees in the country. Founded in December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by former political prisoners during the Martial Law period. It works for the unconditional release of all political prisoners and humane treatment of those who are still in detention; for the advocacy on the conditions of political prisoners, the fundamental reasons for their arrest and detention, and their struggle for justice; mobilization of resources for political prisoners and their families; legislative actions on the indemnification and rehabilitation of political detainees; and promotion of partnerships and solidarity with organizations for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and victims of tyranny.

SELDA LIST OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND SUPPORTERS WHO CONDUCTED AND HAVE CONTINUING SOLIDARITY ACTIONS FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE MORONG 43 AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS

Political Detainees in their cultural presentation

Five of the political detainees in Northern Mindanao are  presently detained in the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail (Alfredo  Mapano, Vicente Libona, Emmanuel Saguinlao, Lilyn Cabusog, Annabelle  Mansigiao).  Image 4245 - Left to right: Annabelle Mansigiao, Emmanuel Saguinlao,  Lilyn Cabusog and Vicente Libona

 

RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE INTEGRATED BAR OF THE PHILIPPINES (IBP) SEEKING THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE "MORONG 43"

Ae, the members of the Board of Fovernors and the National Officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, affirm our belief in the constitutional inviolability of the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizujres of whatever nature. We reiterate our commitment to basic and universal human rightrs.

We seek the proper and faster administration of justice for the 43 doctors, nurses and community health workers, knwon as the "Morong 43," who have been detained since February 6, 2010.

We demand accountability from the Armed Forces of the Philippines who are supposed to be the guardians and protectors of the citizenry, for their detention and classification of the Morong 43 as subversives meant to undermine national security and peace.

We join local and international healtlh organizations, human rights groups and lawyers alliances in the call for the immeidate release of the Morong 43, and urge the Department of Justice and the courts to drop the charges against those detained in order that they can be immediately released and enjoy the liberty that was deprived unjustly from them.

Passed and approved this 27th day of November, 2010 in Subioc, Zambales.

Signed by the IBP governors.

Press Release -- 16 November 2010

KARAPATAN dismayed over Malacanang meeting on Morong 43 case

HUMAN RIGHTS group Karapatan expressed dismay over the meeting yesterday with Malacanang Palace officials on the Morong 43 case.

“Nothing came out of a scheduled meeting of relatives of the detained Morong 43 health workers with the President’s Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Atty. Jose Amor Amorado in Malacanang,” Karapatan acting secretary-general Jigs Clamor said.

“Worse, the tormented relatives were given a run-around by the Palace official who alleged that President Benigno Aquino III has instructed them to look into the case before he left for Japan to attend the APEC summit,” Clamor said.

“Dep. Exec. Sec. Amorado admitted that the Palace is being flooded with support letters calling for the immediate release of the illegally detained health workers. But it seems Amorado doesn’t know what immediate means. Malacanang has no sense of urgency on human rights violations,” Clamor added.

“The Department of Justice, through Sec. Leila de Lima, has already submitted its recommendations to the President on what to do with the human rights victims and President Aquino himself publicly admitted that the warrant is faulty and that the evidence used against them were, legally speaking, ‘the fruit of the poisonous tree’. Yet here comes Dep. Sec. Amorado feigning ignorance on the case but has the gall to offer us all sorts of ‘legal advice’ on how to deal with a problem which the government has started in the first place,” Clamor said.

“He was asking us for legal papers. But those were already already submitted and reviewed by the DOJ as per the President’s own instructions. Then he was asking us plainly stupid questions like where this ‘Mario Conde’ named in the faulty warrant can be found. It is either Malacanang is willfully stalling the release of the Morong 43, and taking us for fools, or some power player like the US or the AFP is hellbent to continue the grave human rights violations in the country,” Clamor said.

“We have reports indicating that Malacanang is playing a propaganda spin against the health workers and that the AFP is parading some of the detainees for its own crooked designs,” Clamor bared.

“We shall not be daunted. We vow to continue the just struggle for the release of the Morong 43 and all political prisoners,” Clamor ended. ###

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.