POLITICAL prisoners in Taguig City and Negros island are holding a 24-hour “protest fasting” in conjunction with other protest activities scheduled during the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered today, July 24, by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The political prisoners, held at the Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4 in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City, released a statement through Kapatid, a support group for political prisoners.
In their statement, they expressed solidarity with the political prisoners on Negros island, who initiated their fasting on July 23 as part of an ongoing struggle for freedom.
Both groups of prisoners claim to be victims of systematic red-tagging, terrorist-labeling, fabricated charges, illegal arrests, and prolonged detention.
According to a report by the human rights alliance Karapatan, as of June 30, 2023, there are 778 political prisoners nationwide, with 139 of them detained in 14 jails on Negros island.
The political prisoners in Bicutan argue that the actions of the 3rd Infantry Spearhead Division in Negros, aimed at ending the armed resistance of revolutionary forces on the island by December 2023, have resulted in widespread human rights violations against the people of Negros.
They believe this necessitates their collective efforts to defend political and civil rights, which are under attack due to the counter-insurgency program intensified by Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70.
Inside prison, the political prisoners stress the importance of advocating for the rights and well-being of political prisoners and other inmates, urging the implementation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Mandela Rules.
Addressing the severe jail congestion throughout the country is imperative, but they emphasize that the release of political prisoners is equally urgent.
Furthermore, the political prisoners call for the immediate release of sick and elderly political prisoners in accordance with the pending Writ of Kalayaan, awaiting the Supreme Court’s promulgation.
They highlight the case of eight elderly and sick political detainees in Negros who should be released on humanitarian and legal grounds. Among them are Marcelino Estaniel, who has been in prison for 19 years, and Wilfredo Arellano, along with two others in the same case, who have been imprisoned for over 15 years.
The statement was signed by the 29 political prisoners in MMDJ-4 at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan. The signatories include Ernesto Jude Rimando, Frank Fernandez, Rene Atadero, Rey Casambre, Mark Ryan Cruz, Joel Demate, Vicente Ladlad, Edisel Legaspi, Maoj Maga, Juan Alexander Reyes, and Adelberto Silva.
