[Urgent Appeal] Political prisoners and detainees escalate their protest action from fasting to hunger strike – www.tfdp.net

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;…

Human Rights Online Philippines

July 28, 2011

5–7 minutes

Benigno Aquino III, Hunger Strike, Juanito Itaas, Leila de Lima, New Bilibid Prison, Philippine, Political prisoner, Press Release, Prison, United States Department of Justice, www.tfdp.net

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.

Currently, the government denies that these prisoners are political dissenters. After having charged these political prisoners/detainees with common felonies (i.e. illegal possession of firearms), the government now treats them as ordinary criminals. In the process, they deny the legitimacy and justness of the grievances of political offenders. Suspicion of being members or supporters of insurgent groups are the usual grounds for their arrest.

The Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) has asked the government to look into their plight even before President Benigno Aquino III took his oath last year. TFDP and human rights organizations even had a dialogue last year with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and they promised that they will resume the operation of the Presidential Committee on Bail, Recognizance, Pardon and Parole (PCBREPP) to evaluate the releases of political prisoners. But until now this promise has not been fulfilled.

PCBREPP was created during the time of former President Ramos as mechanism to table cases of alleged political offenders. The process was able to release a significant number of political offenders under President Fidel Ramos’ term. It was resurrected during the term of former President Gloria Arroyo and was able to release eight political prisoners at the last days of her term of office.

Meanwhile, political detainees in Dumaguete Provincial Jail, Kabankalan City Jail, Leyte Provincial Jail, Samar Provincial Jail and Catbalogan Samar Provincial Jail are also joining the hunger strike while political detainees in Mindanao and MMDJ Taguig are already in fasting since July 21, 2011.

Action Requested

Please write to the authorities in the Philippines urging them to:

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;
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;
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;
Provide a “a general and unconditional amnesty” for the release of political prisoners and detainees;
Provide a clear action plan of government to include human rights principles as basis for governance and development plan;
Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards.

Please send your letters to:

President Benigno C. Aquino III
Republic of the Philippines
Malacañan Palace
JP Laurel Street , San Miguel
Manila 1005
Philippines

Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80

Email: corres@op.gov.ph /opnet@ops.gov.ph

Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr

Office of the President

1/F Bonifacio Hall, Malacañan Palace,

JP Laurel Street , San Miguel
Manila 1005
Philippines

Fax: +63 2 733 7636

Tel: +63 2 733 3010 / 733 2485

Email: jojoochoa@yahoo.com

Secretary Leila M. De Lima
Department of Justice (DOJ)

Padre Faura Street

Ermita, Manila, 1000

Philippines

Fax: +63 2 523 9548
Tel: +63 2 521 1908
Email: lmdelima@doj.gov.ph / doj.delima@gmail.com

Secretary Teresita Q. Deles

Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)

6th Floor, Agustin 1 Building, F. Ortigas Jr. Avenue (formerly Emerald Avenue)
Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600

Philippines

Fax +63 2 638 2216

Tel: +63 2 544 4217

Email: feedback@opapp.net

Chairperson Loretta Ann P. Rosales
Commission on Human Rights (CHR)
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City 1104
Philippines

Tel: +63 2 928 5655, +63 2 926 6188
Fax: +63 2929 0102

Email: rosales.chr@gmail.com