Political
prisoners' fast on its second week, score Leviste's parole
By SELDA
December 9, 2013
QUEZON CITY – "As
former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste walks out of prison, 449
political prisoners, who were wrongfully accused of criminal offenses
because of their political beliefs, will have to spend Christmas again
in jail. Some 28 of them are elderly like Leviste. They, too, deserve
to be out of prison. After all, they are not criminals," said Marie
Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of SELDA and Karapatan.
Political prisoners,
including the 13 peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of
the Philippines, are now on their second week of fasting/hunger
strike, “precisely to call attention to the demand to immediately
release all political prisoners. These people shouldn't be in jail in
the first place, but that's what we get under an oppressive system –
those who uphold the rights and interests of the poor majority of our
people are jailed,” she said.
In September, Alison
Alcantara, 55 died of fatal arrhythmia, sepsis and health-care
associated pneumonia. The BS Aquino government ignored repeated pleas
for his release on humanitarian grounds and was only taken to the
Philippine General Hospital after he fell into coma a few days before
he died. “There are at least 48 others who are similarly suffering
from various ailments without proper medication,” added Hilao-Enriquez.
"These ailing and elderly
political prisoners need to be released from prison, where conditions
are poor, and may likely prove fatal to their already delicate
health," said political prisoner and NDF consultant Ramon Patriarca.
Patriarca is detained at the AFP Central Command Headquarters at Camp
Lapulapu, Cebu City.
Other detainees cited by
Patriarca were: Intong Amirol, 70, who also died this year following a
stroke and other medical complications; Mariano Umbrero and Crisanto
Fat who died in 2011 of cancer and heart attack, respectively, while
in prison.
"The overwhelming show of
people's goodwill and humanitarianism in the aftermath of
super-typhoon Yolanda should prod the BS Aquino government to extend
compassion to ailing and elderly political prisoners who continue to
suffer systemic and systematic injustice," he said.
Patriarca
also criticized the government's misuse and plunder of public funds
which he said "makes the immediate release of ailing and elderly
political prisoners necessary as widespread corruption effectively
prevented, among others, resources and reforms for the justice system
and prison network."
The political prisoners'
fast/hunger strike will continue up to Dec. 10, to mark the
International Human Rights Day. A multi-sectoral protest rally is set
in the morning of December 10 at Mendiola where BS Aquino's effigy
named P-Noy the Destroyer will be burned.