Free 'Morong 43' alliance hits BJMP

MANILA, Philippines - A group lobbying for the immediate release of 43 detained militant health workers assailed yesterday the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for not allowing a volunteer medical team to check on the female detainees on hunger strike.

Dr. Geneve Rivera, convenor of the Free the 43 Health Workers Alliance, said the warden at the detention facilities at Camp Bagong Diwa in Tagig denied the medical entry despite repeated pleas.

“After much waiting, the warden gave no assurance as to when the necessary preliminary medical examination will be done if it was to be done at all,” Rivera said in a statement. The detainees were collectively called Morong 43 because they were arrested in Morong, Rizal allegedly for training in bomb making.

Rivera said the medical team just wanted to see the condition of the detainees.

The team had also conducted medical check-up on the male detainees and they found three of them suffering from high blood pressure while one was underweight.

“They also went to check on the jail’s preparations for the hunger strike. The infirmary has beds with new sheets but there was lack of some medical equipment and supplies and some equipment need repair,” she maintained.

A team from the World Council of Churches, meanwhile, has appealed for the release of the detainees.

Rev. Tara Jewel Curlewis, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia, questioned the legality of their arrest.

Council members also acknowledged Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s “recognition of the existence of a culture of impunity that has resulted in extra-judicial killings and massive human rights violations, and her resolve to put an end to it.”

“We affirm her belief that there is no inconsistency between human rights and justice; when you serve one, you serve the other,” the group stated. The group recently had a dialogue with De Lima.

The WCC is a worldwide fellowship of 349 churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories.    

Meanwhile, De Lima said she has issued a second memorandum to President Aquino assuring him of continuing efforts to address the plight of the so-called Morong 43.

“We are continuing to find means to address this matter, to address the plea of Morong 43... for their release but through the process. Hopefully there will be closure to this issue,” she said.

“I’m actually submitting another memo to the President. As you know I already submitted a previous memo,” she said.

“Within the bounds of law, within legal process,” she said referring to her recommendations.

She noted that the 43 health workers have already been charged before the Regional Trial Court of Morong, Rizal for illegal possession of explosives and for violation of the Commission on Elections ban on possession or distribution of such materials.

De Lima said a petition is also pending with the Supreme Court seeking to reverse the Court of Appeals’ ruling denying the petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by the health workers.

Human rights culture

The United Nation Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Margaret Sekaggaya, meanwhile, urged governments to inculcate the culture of upholding human rights in all aspects among citizens.

Sekaggaya made the appeal during the 4th Regional Forum of Human Rights Defenders at the Bayview Hotel in Manila.

The UN official, a native of Uganda, said that for instance “policemen should understand human rights more. They should include human rights and use the right approach to protect the defenders.”

This should also be practiced in schools, so that even at an early age children would be trained on how to respect human rights. 

“The public policies of the state should not be limited to one area of the state, but all areas of the state’s ministry such as health and labor to protect HR defenders,” Santiago Canton, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights executive secretary, said in the same forum.

“Government sometimes do not investigate the cases where there are violations committed. This is a serious problem that affected the work of HRD,” Sekaggaya said.

She also cited repressive laws that inhibit the rights of the HRD as well as questions on the independence of the judiciary. – With Sandy Araneta, Rhodina Villanueva and Evelyn Macairan