Task Force Detainees of the Philippines

PRESS RELEASE
August 5, 2011

Health of political prisoners in NBP deteriorating as they approach the 12th day of their hunger strike

Six (6) of the political prisoners holding their hunger strike in New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City were rushed to the NBP hospital this Thursday as they approached the 12th day of their self starvation protest for their release.

According to the rights group Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), the hunger strikers who were rushed to the hospital were Rodel Alcon, Edgar Apolona, Apolonio Barado, Diony Sarad, Bas Esmael and Christopher Balneg.

“They are already experiencing the effect of having no intake of food for almost two weeks now.  The NBP doctors regularly check on their health condition and had been advising Apolonio Barado to stop his hunger strike due to his unstable health condition, but he insists on pursuing.  They are all persistent and they want the government to start listening to their plea for freedom,” said Emmanuel Amistad, Executive Director of TFDP.

The hunger strike protest was triggered by the death of their co-inmate Mariano Umbrero last July 15, 2011.  Umbrero was the cancer-stricken political prisoner who was eventually given clemency by President Aquino four days after his death.

1. Call upon competent authorities to look into the plight of the political prisoners and detainees particularly the criminalization of their political acts, and the bureaucracy in government that failed to immediately act on petitions such as parole, pardon and clemency filed by prisoners;
2. Review the present Board of Pardons and Parole guidelines 2006 Revised Manual of the Board of Pardons and Parole, Section 3, Extraordinary Circumstances, a) to consider the proposal to lower the age limit of those eligible for pardon from 70 to 60 and, b)  to include prisoners who are “terminally ill and have debilitating diseases” for immediate executive clemency;
3. Create a working group to examine, monitor, review and provide recommendations in relation to the ongoing cases of political offenders. Similar actions should be taken in dealing with pending appeals and applications for parole, pardon and clemency filed by political prisoners. The group should have unrestricted access to the prison system and its records;
4. Provide “a general and unconditional amnesty” for the release of political prisoners and detainees;
5. Provide a clear action plan of government to include human rights principles as basis for governance and development plan;
6. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards.

Urgent Appeal (Philippines): Political prisoners and detainees escalate their protest action from fasting to hunger strike

Situationer:

On July 25, 2011, political prisoners and detainees around the country started their nationwide HUNGER STRIKE for freedom and human rights. This is to express their concern over: 1) government’s lack of explicit national policy on human rights; 2) the continuous neglect of the plight of victims of political incarceration; and, 3) to push for prison reforms specifically for the government to consider proposed changes on provisions set forth by the guidelines of the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP).

The escalation of the struggle of the political prisoners into a hunger strike signifies their firm stance to call attention not only to their situation but the lack of a human rights agenda of the government. Juanito Itaas, head of the steering committee of political prisoners in New Bilibid Prison (NBP) expressed dismay that present government has no intention of looking into their situation.

Citing his case, Itaas was a full-time activist in Davao City when he was abducted and tortured by the Philippine Constabulary – Criminal Investigation Service (PC-CIS) and Regional Security Unit (RSU) on August 27, 1989. Later on, Itaas was wrongfully accused of murder and frustrated murder but eventually convicted for the killing of Col. James Rowe who was then the chief of the Army Division of the Joint RP – U.S. Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG) and the wounding of his driver, Joaquin Vinuya. Itaas had filed several applications for amnesty. Due to supposed pressures and strong opposition by the United States government, his petitions were ignored and rejected.

Aside from Itaas, there are 319 political prisoners and detainees languishing in jails across the country before a political prisoner Mariano Umbrero died two weeks ago. Umbrero was the cancer-stricken political prisoner in NBP who died last July 15, 2011 with government failing to grant executive clemency.