Members of an international human rights organization, Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), based in France sent their appeals to the Philippine Government to grant freedom for Mariano Umbrero.   The political prisoner in New Bilibid Prison (NBP) is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

ACAT is one of the international partners of the national human rights organization Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) that has been assisting political prisoners and human rights violations victims since Martial Law.

In several letters of appeal sent last March to DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima and other concerned government agencies, members of ACAT expressed their call for the release of Mariano Umbrero based on TFDP’s Urgent Alert, “In compliance with the Philippine legislation and international standards, we (ACAT) therefore call upon you (Philippine Government) to immediately release Mariano Umbrero and… to ensure that he has immediate access to adequate medical treatment as well as his detention conditions are appropriate regarding his critical health state.”

DoJ Secretary Leila De Lima in a letter dated May 5, 2011, replied to ACAT  saying that, “Under Philippine Law, the release of a convict prior to the termination of his sentence may, for extraordinary circumstances be possible through an act of executive clemency by the President of the Republic.  The Board of Pardons and Parole (the Board), the body mandated to assist the President in exercising the power of executive clemency, shall study his case and circumstances, and if meritorious, it shall recommend to the President the inmate’s release.”

In the same letter, Secretary De Lima also said to ACAT that, “…we have endorsed the plea for Mr. Umbrero’s release for the consideration of the Board.”

Mariano Umbrero, one of the 320 political prisoners nationwide documented by TFDP, was diagnosed with lung cancer last March of this year.  According to TFDP, Umbrero was rushed to the NBP hospital again last Sunday morning.  He was in respiratory distress, vomiting and with severe back and chest pain.

Emmanuel Amistad, Executive Director of TFDP said, “Time is running out for Tatay Umbrero.  His condition worsens every day.  We believe that he deserves executive clemency.  The fate of Tatay Umbrero now lies in the President’s hands. It will take no more than a minute for the President to sign the executive clemency for Umbrero.”

Article 3 of the Board of Pardons and Parole Amended Guidelines for Recommending Executive Clemency states that, “The Board shall recommend to the President the grant of executive clemency when … extraordinary circumstances are present,” including, “Inmates who suffer from serious, contagious or life threatening illness/disease…”

“We have been appealing to concerned government agencies for Tatay Umbrero’s release since March but we have only received referrals to BPP and no immediate action. We cannot comprehend why the government can’t realize the urgency of this case.  We urge President Aquino to immediately free Tatay Umbrero on humanitarian grounds before it’s too late. Let Tatay Umbrero breath the air of freedom in his dying days,” Amistad concluded.

PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2011

For more information please contact:
Egay Cabalitan; Advocacy Staff- TFDP; Mobile: 0921 964 50 17; 4378054; egay.advocacytfdp@gmail.com

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