“We hold
the Aquino government accountable for the death of Benny Barid. His
death is the face of martial law in our country today. He suffered and
died because of the cruelty and injustice of this government that
speaks of ‘democracy’ but denies the right of political prisoners to
be free,” said Cristina Guevarra, Hustisya secretary general.
For three
years, Barid had stayed as a patient at the NBP Hospital. He suffered
from chronic asthmatic bronchitis with emphysema. He cannot stand up
alone, and needs to be put in a wheelchair to move from one place to
another. Fellow political prisoners are the ones who look for means to
acquire his needed medicines. His further stay at the NBP Hospital has
made him more vulnerable to various diseases. Fellow political
prisoners at the NBP mourned at the death of their kosa and kasama,
but likewise demanded justice.
“Halos tatlong taon siyang
nakaratay sa NBP Hospital sa labis na panghihina dahil sa kanyang
karamdaman na kanyang ikinamatay. Nagpapaabot po kaming mga bilanggong
pulitikal sa pamilya at kaanak ni Barid ng aming lubos na pakikiramay.
Salik ang malaking kakulangan sa sapat at maayos na serbisyong pang-piitan
sa mahirap na pinagdaanan ni Barid. Gayundin, nawalan na ng pag-asa si
Barid dahil sa kawalan ng kongkretong hakbang ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas
upang tugunan ang makatarungang pagpapalaya sa lahat ng bilanggong
pulitikal. Tuloy ang laban para sa kalayaan!” said the NBP political
prisoners in a statement.
Exactly a year ago, Alison
Alcantara, 55 years old and also a political prisoner at NBP, died of
pneumonia, sepsis and fatal arrhythmia. He was only brought to the
Philippine General Hospital after he fell into a coma at the NBP
Hospital.
“How many more ailing
political prisoners will suffer from the dire and subhuman conditions
inside different detention centers in the country? How many more after
Alison Alcantara and Benny Barid?” said Guevarra. Arrested in July
2006, Barid was accused of involvement in a massacre which happened in
2004. His child was allegedly hostaged by the military to force him to
surrender. He was a victim of trumped-up charges four times, the last
of which he was sentenced to three counts of lifetime imprisonment in
the NBP Maximum Security Compound.
He was a political detainee
of the Marcos dictatorship, but was granted amnesty under the Cory
Aquino government. He was again arrested sometime in 2004 for
subversion and illegal possession of firearms. The case was dismissed,
but his lawyer was killed after handling his case. In 2005, the
military detained him for almost two months, when they searched his
house and allegedly found firearms in his possession. In all
incidents, the military and police consistently pinned him down as a
member of the New People’s Army.
SELDA to
BS Aquino: Free ailing political prisoners now!
SELDA, meanwhile, dared the
Aquino government to immediately release ailing political prisoners on
September 21, the 42nd year commemoration of martial law.
The group said decades after
the martial law years, the Philippines continues to face the bleak
reality of the existence of political prisoners. Rights of political
prisoners are repeatedly violated as they are slapped with trumped-up
criminal charges, arbitrarily arrested and illegally detained. Many of
them are tortured and denied their right to counsel and due process.
They suffer inhumane prison conditions and prolonged imprisonment, and
snail-paced judicial process.
Of the 504 political
prisoners in the country under the Aquino government, 53 are ailing
political prisoners.
“We dare Pres. Aquino to
immediately release ailing political prisoners on humanitarian
grounds,” SELDA spokesperson Roneo Clamor said, “The poor and
inadequate health services that the government provides endanger the
lives of the relatively more vulnerable sick and elderly political
prisoners. The meager budget allotted to prison inmates makes jails
and detention facilities barely habitable, unsafe and hazardous to the
health and general well-being of prisoners. Keeping the sick and
elderly political prisoners longer in prison leads to serious health
complications that could be life-threatening.”
“Pres. Aquino’s hands are
bloodied with the death of ailing political prisoners. His
government’s callousness and injustice against them are no different
from Marcos. The Aquino government perpetuates the culture of
impunity. We call on the people to unite and demand justice and
freedom for all political prisoners!” ended Clamor.
