Protestant bishops echo
political detainees call for freedom
By KARAPATAN
July 21, 2012
QUEZON CITY –
Eight Bishops from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)
expressed support to the ongoing hunger strike/fasting of political
prisoners. In a statement, the Bishops urged Pres. Noynoy Aquino “to
consider the plight of political detainees under his administration
and their call for a general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty.”
The hunger strike/fasting
which started last July 16 is on its fifth day. On July 19, some 18
political prisoners in Metro Manila, Agusan del Sur, Cebu and Tagum
City heightened their action by going on hunger strike to highlight
the call for their release. Five hundred (500) inmates at the
Compostela Valley Provincial Rehabilitation Center joined the
political prisoners in sympathy. Political prisoners in 10 jails
throughout the country have joined the hunger strike/fast.
The UCCP Bishops said they
are “compelled to amplify” the on-going hunger strike of political
prisoners in the “face of such callous dismissal by the Aquino
Administration”, referring to the earlier pronouncement of Malacañang
that “there are no political prisoners” in the country.
They also called for the
release the 14 National Democratic Front (NDF) peace consultants who
are covered by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and NDF Joint
Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). “As Church
advocates committed to the peace process, we view such action as a
significant step in bringing forward and revitalizing the GPH-NDFP
peace talks.”
In a separate statement, NDF
peace consultant Ramon Patriarca criticized the Aquino government
because “it has not done enough to comply with its commitments in the
many bilateral agreements it forged with the NDF. One cannot but
suspect that the June 15 Oslo initiative was meant only as another
‘pogi point’ for the president’s State of the Nation Address (SONA)
or, as a mere posturing preparatory to ending altogether the GPH-NDF
peace negotiations consistent with his Oplan Bayanihan
counter-revolutionary program.” Patriarca is a political prisoner at
the Camp Lapu-Lapu, AFP Central Command headquarters in Lahug, Cebu
City. He is among the political prisoners who are on hunger strike.
The UCCP Bishops who signed
the statement of support were: Bishops Reuel Norman O. Marigza,
General Secretary of the UCCP, Elorde M. Sambat, North Luzon
Jurisdictional Area, Roel P. Mendoza, Middle Luzon Jurisdictional
Area, Arturo R. Asi, South Luzon Jurisdictional Area, Jaime M. Moriles,
West Visayas Juridictional Area, Dulce Pia-Rose, East Visayas
Jurisdictional Area, Melzar D. Labuntog, Northwest Mindanao
Jurisdictional Area, Modesto D. Villasanta, Southeast Mindanao
Jurisdictional Area.