PRESS STATEMENT

Various lawyers groups joined an unprecedented march to the foot of the presidential palace in Manila together with doctors, nurses, community health workers and law and medical students yesterday morning to renew their call for the immediate release of the detained Filipino health workers as well as other political prisoners all over the country.

The groups were led by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) which is the co-counsel of the Morong 43 together with the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). The NUPL marched together with their colleagues from the mandatory national bar association, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). Local members of the International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) as well as the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) also joined the protest march.

NUPL spokesperson Atty. Julius Matibag said that as people’s lawyers, the NUPL pursues the case and issue of the Morong 43 not only in the courtroom but also in the streets. “The fight for the rights of the Morong 43 as well as of the hundreds of political prisoners cannot be waged only in the confines of the courtrooms. The struggle for human rights is ultimately won before and through the bar of public opinion,” he said.

The 50,000 strong IBP said in the recent Resolution of its Board of Governors that “we join local and international health organizations, human rights groups and lawyers alliances in the call for the immediate release of the Morong 43 and urge the Department of Justice and the courts to drop the charges against those detained in order that they can be immediately released and enjoy the liberty that was deprived unjustly from them.” Governors Roan Libarios and Jose Cabrera and National Director for Legal Aid Rosario Setias-Reyes led the IBP delegation.

NUPL Secretary General Atty. Edre U. Olalia challenged the present administration to go beyond its rhetoric and do something decisive to free the Morong 43. “It is time to stop the populist mumbo-jumbo and time to use its power to bring justice. The issue of their release is not a matter of favor but a matter of principle and justice. It must right a wrong that the previous administration has foisted,“ Olalia said.

“President Aquino and his close legal advisers should not speak in cryptic messages. His sincerity can be measured concretely when he orders forthwith the Justice Department to categorically and unconditionally withdraw the false charges against our clients. He should not wash its hands off the issue and conveniently pass on the burden when he knows he can already do something to effect the release from his end. He must not succumb to those who would prevent him from doing so, tie it up with other irrelevant conditions or use it as a bargaining chip for a quid pro quo,” Atty. Olalia added.

Atty. Olalia said that the lawyers groups vow to even escalate the campaign until the Morong 43 are released. He reiterated their commitment to stand by their clients and supporters in whatever action they will legitimately pursue.#

REFERENCE:
ATTY. EDRE U. OLALIA
Secretary-General, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL)
Contact Number: 09175113373

Today, December 3, the Morong 43 started their hunger strike for freedom.  December 6 would be the 10th month of their illegal arrest and detention.

We demand their immediate and unconditional release.  The 43 health workers, who were attending a grassroots medical training, are victims of illegal search, arrest, detention and torture.  They are ridiculously charged with illegal possession of explosives. The pieces of evidence against them are either planted or inadmissible since these are, in legal jurisprudence, “fruits of the poisonous tree”.

Charges against them can be withdrawn if only President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will heed the advice of respected legal minds including the Secretary of Justice. That he continues to pass the burden to courts can either mean ignorance of the legal process or propensity for sticking his head in the sand.

Aside from the main venue of the hunger strike at Camp Bagong Diwa, a Support the M43 Hunger Strike Center has been set up in Manila for the families, other relatives, friends and multi-sectoral networks and individuals who will be on sympathy hunger strike or fasting.  Cultural groups plan to perform at the center.

Political prisoners in various detention centers and prisons in different provinces will hold their own fasting and/or sympathy act such as noise barrage and others.  Their actions aim to cap the year’s campaign to free all political prisoners especially those who have long been deprived of their liberty like Angie Ipong in Misamis Occidental, Eduardo Serrano and Eduardo Sarmiento in Camp Crame and Sandino Esguerra in Camp Bagong Diwa.

Let us drum up international support for the Morong 43 and all political prisoners. You may:
–          Join the hunger strike on December 6, their 10th  month anniversary in jail, and issue a statement of support;
–          Organize sympathy fasting or a few-day hunger strike;
–          Picket the Philippine Embassy and demand freedom for the Morong 43 and other political prisoners especially Ipong, Serrano, Sarmiento and Esguerra;
–          Highlight the hunger strike in your commemoration of human rights week and December 10 International HR Day;
–          Lobby with your parliament, congress and/or senate;
–          Write your ambassadors stationed in the Philippines;
–          Encourage international organizations/institutions and those in your network to send support statements to the hunger strike (addressed to Malacanang cc Philippine Embassy in your country, Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima and Karapatan);
–          Keep those postcards coming, we want them by the thousands;
–          Circulate this and further announcements plus the hunger strike bulletins which we will issue from time to time;
–          Solicit financial and material support for the Morong 43, other political prisoners and their families; and
–          Share your ideas with us and others so we can have a variety of support actions.

Free the Morong 43!
Release Angie Ipong, Eduardo Serrano, Eduardo Sarmiento and Sandino Esguerra!
Free all political prisoners!

December 3, 2010
Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan

Today we begin our hunger strike. This is the only course of action left us to end our continued illegal detention, there being no clear action by the government for our unconditional release.

On December 6, we will be on our 10th month in detention. We were arrested last February 6 by a joint AFP-PNP operation based on a defective warrant. We were tortured physically and psychologically, deprived of sleep, subjected to various indignities, threatened with harm, denied legal counsel for several days and illegally detained until now. Planted evidence was used and false charges were filed against us. Our human rights continue to be violated. Every day in jail is an injustice to us.

For the last 10 months, our families and friends from different sectors have never stopped working for our release. Even the international community was alarmed over our illegal arrest and continued detention. Various human rights advocates here and abroad have been unceasing in staging activities and protest actions calling on the President Benigno Aquino III to withdraw the charges against us.

The Department of Justice has conducted a review of our case. The findings have been submitted to President Aquino. The president himself has admitted that our arrest was based on a defective warrant and that “evidence wrongly gotten cannot be used.” Yet despite these findings, there are no clear indications that the charges against us will be withdrawn anytime soon.

Our action today and in the succeeding days is a call to President Aquino to simply order the withdrawal of the case against us forthwith so that we may be immediately and unconditionally released. We believe it is only fitting that we stage this hunger strike as the world observes Human Rights Week. We fight not only for our freedom but for the freedom of all political prisoners nationwide.

FREE THE MORONG 43!
FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!

We, families, friends & comrades of political prisoners in the Philippines and Turkey join our hands today, December 3, 2010 – the International Day of Solidarity for the Political Prisoners, in calling for the immediate release of All the Political Prisoners in Turkey and the Philippines.

We strongly urge the Turkish and Philippine government to stop all forms of torture and isolation to the prisoners in the country.

We believe that the 6000 political prisoners in Turkey and the 375 political prisoners in the Philippines should be released immediately without preconditions.

These political prisoners are not criminals and should be freed immediately to continue their invaluable service to the people of Turkey and Philippines in working for class and national struggles.

We likewise join the international community of people’s movement in calling for the immediate release of the Morong 43, the forty three health workers who are were illegally arrested, tortured and detained, and all political prisoners in the world who are languishing in various jails and detention centres.

Axel Pinpin, Genel Sekreter, KASAMA-TK (Güney Tagalog Köylü Hareketi Federasyonu –Filipinler)
SELDA – Organization of Former Prisoners Against Detention and Arrest in the Philippines
Alınteri (Toil)
Demokratik Haklar Federasyonu (Federation for Democratic Rights)
Halk Cephesi (People’s Front)
Partizan (Partisan)
Partizan Şehit ve Tutsak Aileleri (Families of Partisan’s Martyrs and Prisoners)
Tutuklu Gazetecilerle Dayanışma Platformu (The Platform of Solidarity With Detained Journailsts)

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The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) – Philippines is an organization of former political detainees in the country. Founded in December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by former political prisoners during the Martial Law period. It works for the unconditional release of all political prisoners and humane treatment of those who are still in detention; for the advocacy on the conditions of political prisoners, the fundamental reasons for their arrest and detention, and their struggle for justice; mobilization of resources for political prisoners and their families; legislative actions on the indemnification and rehabilitation of political detainees; and promotion of partnerships and solidarity with organizations for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and victims of tyranny.