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Political prisoner Ramon Patriarca should be immediately released — Karapatan

ICHRP Secretariat
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Political prisoner Ramon Patriarca should be immediately released — Karapatan

Patriarca has been in solitary confinement for two years now… He is the only political prisoner who is in a military detention facility.

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)

Karapatan, through its chairperson Marie Hilao-Enriquez, today called for the release of political prisoner Ramon Patriarca as she echoed Patriarca’s appeal for an immediate transfer to a civilian detention facility from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command Headquarters, Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City.

Patriarca, a human rights defender and a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines has been in solitary confinement for two years now. He is the only political prisoner who is in a military detention facility. “I wonder why the Commission on Human Rights is not doing anything on this. It looks like it is tolerating this practice,” Hilao-Enriquez said.

In a letter of appeal addressed to Cebu governor Hilario Davide III, Patriarca said he wanted to be transferred back to the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) asserting, “there is absolutely no justification for political prisoners like myself to be detained in a military facility. Specific provisions of the Local Government Code and the BJMP Act support the sound and fair practice of holding all inmates, regardless of the charges they face, only in civilian-run detention centers.” Patriarca is denied of even his sunning rights.

Hilao-Enriquez also asked the Department of Justice for a “review of the cases of political prisonersespecially as we have, as of August 2013, 449 PP’s with 48 sick and 28 elderly detainees and 35 women political prisoners.”

Detained at the Danao City Jail from 2009 to 2011, Patriarca helped in the legal cases of a number of inmates and set up literacy classes in prison. He organized fellow prisoners to demand for better prison conditions. Patriarca’s initiatives led to a raise in prisoners’ food allowance from P50 to P80 per inmate, per day. “Apparently, Patriarca’s actions did not sit well with then Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, sister of Byron Garcia, a security consultant at the CPDRC, and the military,” said Hilao-Enriquez.

On 25 January 2012, after Patriarca’s court hearing, his jail guards did not bring him back to Danao City Jail but instead brought him to the CPDRC where he was locked in an isolation cell for several days until he was brought to the AFP Central Command headquarters in Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City.

Patriarca also demanded to be removed from solitary confinement saying, “there is no basis for political prisoners like myself to be put in solitary confinement and separated without due process from fellow inmates, merely for being charged with political offenses.”

“Neither the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, nor Part III of the 1998 GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), nor Part I of the 1955 United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, support the pre-emptive and abusive practice of solitary confinement, as in my case,” he added.

Karapatan supports the urgent appeal of Patriarca saying, “this is a clear case of violation of his rights as a detained person under the Republic Act 3478.”

Patriarca’s defense lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss the rebellion case as the so-called witness — a rebel returnee who remains in custody of the military — himself said that Patriarca “was not present during the incident in question, nor part of its planning.” Patriarca on the other hand filed a case of Anti-Torture Act against his arresting officers.

Patriarca was arrested without a warrant on 5 February 2009 for rebellion. He was tortured and held incommunicado after he was abducted by elements of the 78th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the provincial police in Consolacion, Cebu. Patriarca testified in court that he was kicked and punched, subjected to “water cure” and other forms of physical and mental torture. A doctor who examined Patriarca at that time, said he had acute stress disorder secondary to physical and psychological trauma.

Despite years of isolation and inhumane imprisonment, Patriarca remains steadfast in his principles. Last 21 September, he held a hunger strike to express his support for the people’s movement against pork barrel system. It was the fifth hunger strike since he was transferred to the AFP headquarters.

Reference:
Marie Hilao-Enriquez
Chairperson
+63917- 561800

Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.

365 days of unjust imprisonment — Free Zara NOW!

ICHRP Secretariat
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365 days of unjust imprisonment — Free Zara NOW!

Dear friends,

Today, it has been one year since Zara Alvarez was illegally arrested on Oct 30, 2012. Yet, the human rights defender continues to face two fabricated charges of murder and robbery in band, suffers the separation from her four-year-old daughter and the daily hardship of a life in prison. The separation of mother and child became even more painful when Zara was transferred from the Cadiz City Jail to the Negros Occidental District Jail on August 16 and again to the Bacolod City District Jail on October 2, both jails are about 70km away from Cadiz. Visits became more difficult and more seldom as every visit involves a lot of time and financial resources. Yet, Zara’s prison conditions also worsened.

As a “newcomer” in the Bacolod City District Jail, she is being padlocked for two months, only allowed to leave the cell to receive visitors. Currently she shares this cell with 15 other women. They sleep on the floor, no running water, no separate wash room and toilet. As a consequence, she now suffers from a strong cough, allergies and diarrhea.

Despite these trials, we are confident that truth will reveal and justice prevails. As the venue of the murder case has transferred too, we are hopeful that this will add to the independence and impartiality of the court proceedings, exposing the political repression behind the systematic filing of fabricated charges against her and against many more, resulting in more than 450 political prisoners nationwide.

One year after Zara’s arrest, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your prayers, your postcards and letters and the many pictures we received for tomorrow’s anniversary. Please continue walking with us on this journey, calling for Justice and for an End to fabricated charges against activists and human rights defenders!

Please continue to join us calling her home! Please see below Zara’s letter to the President and the result of the picture campaign! Feel free to circulate both!

Free ZARA Now!
End fabricated charges against human rights defenders and activists!

Warm regards and wishes,

Free Zara Alvarez Movement

(click on the image to view actual size)

131030 Zara Alvarez letter to the President

Free Zara Alvarez NOW!

Ex-detainees, relatives, supporters hold caravan to press for release of political prisoners

ICHRP Secretariat
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Ex-detainees, relatives, supporters hold caravan to press for release of political prisoners

Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA)

Rights group SELDA (Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto), with relatives and friends of political prisoners, held a caravan today from the Quezon City Memorial Circle to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City in an urgent call to free elderly and ailing political prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

“They shouldn’t be in jail in the first place, but they are jailed on trumped up charges. They suffered from torture and other violations of their rights as prisoners. They are denied freedom, and some die of sickness in the long course of their detention. The ailing and the elderly should be released soon while they are still alive,” said Jigs Clamor, SELDA national coordinator.

According to SELDA, political prisoners, like ordinary inmates, suffer from subhuman prison conditions. “They are cramped in congested cells. They receive poor and inadequate health services. Their prolonged detention makes them vulnerable to more serious health conditions,” said Clamor.

Clamor cited the case of Alison Alcantara, who went into a coma on September 4 at the New Bilibid Prisons after suffering from complications to diabetes. “But he was transferred to the Philippine General Hospital only after three days,” said Clamor, “his life could have been saved if there was sufficient medical care right from the beginning.” Alcantara died on September 18.

As of August 2013, there are 449 political prisoners detained in various detention centers all over the country, 48 of them are ailing while 28 are elderly (60 years old and above)

“The low quality and insufficient medical care that the government provides endangers the lives of political prisoners. The P50 a day food budget is very little. Their condition is no different from the lives of people outside prison. Jails and detention centers are barely habitable, unsafe and hazardous to the health and general well-being of prisoners,” Clamor explained.

From Quezon City Memorial Circle, the caravan stopped at the gates of Camp Crame, where four political prisoners, namely Renante Gamara, Eduardo Serrano, Eduardo Sarmiento and Ramon Argente are detained.

Gamara, Serrano, and Sarmiento are peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines who are covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity guarantees of the GPH and the NDFP. Meanwhile, Ramon Argente, a peasant organizer from Bicol, was recently transferred at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame after undergoing triple by-pass surgery. He was previously detained at the Camarines Norte Provincial Jail.

“Even if his surgery is successful, he will recover better outside prison. Why endanger his life again after surviving this ordeal? The least the government can do with his condition is to free him,” Clamor said.

Alongside the caravan, artists and church workers visited the four political prisoners at Camp Crame as part of the “KA-KAUSA” solidarity visits to political prisoners in the Philippines. The group is composed of writers and visual artists, including cultural worker and former political prisoner Ericson Acosta. Poetry and songs were shared in a brief cultural program. The visitors also brought donated art materials for the political prisoners.

The caravan proceeded to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), to call for the resumption of the peace talks between the NDFP and the GPH. According to SELDA, the continued detention of NDF peace consultants and other political prisoners is a hindrance to the resumption to the talks.

The caravan’s last stop was at Camp Bagong Diwa (CBD), where the majority of political prisoners are detained, both at the Metro Manila District Jail-Main, Special Intensive Care Area-Metro Manila District Jail (SICA-MMDJ) and the Taguig City Jail- Female Dorm.  A brief program was held at the gates of the CBD where political prisoners released a statement of solidarity in the call to immediately release the elderly and those who are sick among them.

Reference:
Jigs Clamor
SELDA national coordinator
+63917-5965859

The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) is an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines. Founded on December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by newly-released political prisoners of the martial law period.  SELDA’s primary task is to work for the release of all political prisoners and to see to it that humane treatment of those who are still in detention are complied with by the Philippine authorities.  SELDA advocates justice for current and former political prisoners.  It calls for the mobilisation of resources in support of political prisoners, former detainees and their families.  It carries out legislative advocacy for the indemnification and rehabilitation of political prisoners. SELDA goes into partnership and builds solidarity with concerned individuals and groups for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and all victims of tyranny.

SELDA National Office:
2/F, Erythrina Bldg.,
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets,
Brgy. Central District,
Diliman, Quezon City
1101, Philippines
Tel: 632-4342837 Fax: 632-4354146

Missionary nun condemns surveillance perpetrated against her organization

ICHRP Secretariat
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Missionary nun condemns surveillance perpetrated against her organization

22 October 2013, Iligan City — Sr. Ma. Famita N. Somogod, Sub-Regional Coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Northern Mindanao (RMP-NMR), condemned the non-stop surveillance and harassment being perpetrated against her organization.

“The latest of which was on 30th September 2013, when a certain ‘Francis’ barged into our office and introduced himself as a personnel from the Australian Aid or AusAID,” said Sister Famita.

“On that day, the man discussed about the ‘work’ of AusAID, and asked me and two of my staff about our works and the current areas where we are doing interventions,” the nun furthered.In suspicion, Sister Famita said they did not entertain ‘Francis.’ “How come a donor agency, without following any protocol, suddenly came into our office without informing us even a day before?” she emphasized.

RMP-NMR immediately wrote AusAID and verified about ‘Francis.’

On 07 October 2013, Rebecca Ongtaco, Head of Finance and Risk Manager of AusAID Philippines replied: “Please be informed that AusAID does not have any employee named ‘Francis’ or anyone who was authorised to contact RMP-NMR office.”

“Rest assured that we shall investigate this matter by contacting our Mindanao-based implementing partners who may be able to shed light on this concern,” added by Ongtangco via e-mail.

In another email sent today to RMP-NMR, Ongtangco further said: “Our verification with our Mindanao based implementing partners on whether or not any of their staff contacted your office on 30 Sept. 2013 resulted into negative responses.”

The latest incident strengthened RMP-NMR’s analysis that they are being targeted because of their human rights work for the rural poor.

In February 2013, Kenneth Flloyd Navarro, Projects Officer of RMP-NMR was tailed for several times. He feared for his life, and hid. He was dislocated from his work, and has never surfaced since.

Long-time RMP-NMR lay co-worker Joel Q. Yagao, was filed with murder charges, and was arrested on 09 September 2013. Yagao has been responsible for sound agrarian campaigns in Misamis Oriental. He is now being detained at the Gingoog City jail.

“We believe that the state security forces are doing all these surveillance and harassment to hinder us from going to rural areas and report about the degenerating human rights situation of the village folks brought by militarization,” Sister Famita concluded.

The nun has just arrived from the Human Rights Defenders’ Platform in Dublin, Ireland conducted on 9-11 October 2013. In the Platform, she shared to an international audience composed of human rights defenders the attacks experienced by RMP-NMR and other church workers in Mindanao for defending land rights, and the civil and political rights of the rural poor.

Organized by Frontline International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (Frontline Defenders), the Platform was attended by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Mr. Maina Kiai, and by various Irish officials.

Frontline Defenders recently assisted RMP-NMR in improving physical security of their office in Iligan City.

Whitewash of Capion massacre a push for plunderers and murderers — Karapatan

ICHRP Secretariat
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Whitewash of Capion massacre a push for plunderers and murderers — Karapatan

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)

“All along, the whitewashing of the massacre of anti-mining activist JuvyCapion and her two sons is the intent of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as they compromised the physical evidence and crime scene, and desecrated the remains of the victims to justify the massacre and the continuing military operations against the indigenous people’s defending their ancestral lands.”

Karapatan, through its secretary general Cristina Palabay issued the statement after the Office of the Provincial Prosecution in Digos City, Davao del Sur, in a resolution, found no probable cause against the soldiers led by Lt. Col. Alexis Bravo, Lt. Dante Jimenez and 14 other members of the 27th Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army for the murder of Capion and her sons.

Karapatan said that the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor disregarded the statements of several witnesses who were at the site of the massacre shortly after it happened, which are vital testimonies to establish the liability of the AFP troops.

“One of the witnesses even heard the soldiers talk about ‘finishing off’ a child who survived the massacre so no witness remains. Witnesses attested how the military cordoned off the area, having sole control over the crime scene and the lifeless bodies,” Palabay said.

Karapatan said the resolution came as “no surprise as the BS Aquino government has been consistent in exonerating perpetrators of human rights violations.”

“Impunity reigns. The BS Aquino regime has gone berserk in its attacks against the lives and livelihood of the people, in favour of murderers and plunderers. The Capion massacre showed the extent of protection the government grants plunderers like the SMI-XStrata Corporation, a large-scale mining company. The subsequent dismissal of the case against the perpetrators from the Armed Forces illustrates how lopsidedour justice system is in favour of those in power,” she added.

“This is not the first, and definitely not the last. Cases of extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and torture continue to increase as the BS Aquino government dash to the finish line of OplanBayanihan’s Phase 1 by year end,” Palabay said.

Earlier Karapatan opposed the dropping of charges against Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año, Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano, Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano and Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon Jr. who were charged with arbitrary detention, murder and obstruction of justice on the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos. In September, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments to assume the post as Intelligence chief.

“Similarly, perpetrators who were already charged in court like Gen. Jovito Palparan and the Reyes brothers remain free and unpunished. BS Aquino has no qualms about being repressive and corrupt.  And, he does it with his haciendero-style of arrogance, unmindful of the growing people’s resistance against his regime. But, history has shown us where his kind ends up,” concluded Palabay.
Reference:
Cristina “Tinay” Palabay
Secretary General
+63917-3162831

Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580

———————————————————————
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
———————————————————————

Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. 
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