De Villa: I’m not blocking political prisoners’ release

Executive Secretary Renato de Villa denied yesterday claims of human rights groups that he was blocking the proposal to release 77 political detainees.

De Villa said the government remains committed to releasing political detainees but explained that the Department of National Defense (DND) must first be allowed to review the individual cases.

"We are committed to do that," he said. "There’s no problem except that the DND has not actually completed its report."

The executive secretary said he had already ordered the DND to hasten its review so the detainees can be released soon.

However, human rights groups claimed Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez and Interior Secretary Jose Lina have jointly recommended the release of the 77 detainees.

The 77 detainees are among 248 people under government detention who are considered political prisoners.

Lawyer Edre Olalia of the Public Interest Law Center had claimed that the DOJ had already approved a preliminary list of detainees due for release.

When Perez reviewed the list, he added 27 names, including the Muslim men from Maharlika Village in Taguig who were linked to the May 2000 bombings in Makati and Mandaluyong cities.

The DOJ had said the release of the prisoners was meant to be a "confidence-building measure" to re-start the government’s shelved peace talks with communist insurgents and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Communist rebel leaders suspect that the DND is delaying the release of the detainees so that it could have some leverage in negotiating for the release of captured Army Major Noel Buan and police Chief Inspector Abelardo Martin.

But National Democratic Front (NDF) chief Luis Jalandoni described as "preposterous" the DND’s demand for the NDF’s New People’s Army to release Buan and Martin before the release of the 77 detainees.

"By keeping more than 200 political prisoners in detention centers. (Mrs. Arroyo) is turning her back (on) the people who deposed Mr. Estrada and installed her as the new President," Jalandoni said.

Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman and NPA chief Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal had earlier said that Buan and Martin are being tried by the NPA for "war crimes" before a "people’s court" and may only be released through formal negotiations.

But Rosal also admitted that the mainstream communist movement is still open to releasing them to the government "for political reasons, such as the undertaking of confidence-building measures for peace negotiations." — Liberty Dones, Benjie Villa