Sorsogon Provincial Jail. Photo from Google
While protest actions in Manila and hunger strikes in detention centers are being waged this week over the death of political detainee Eduardo Serrano, another political prisoner died in Sorsogon Province, and he was buried Thursday.
According to Kaarapatan- Sorsogon, political detainee Willy Geocado died of diabetis.
Geocado was detained at Sorsogon Provincial Jail (SPJ) since 2011.
As in the case of Eduardo Serrano who was accused of crimes intended for another person, Geocado was imprisoned on trumped-up charge of “rape”, but military and police authorities took turns grilling him about his “alleged rebel connections.”
Karapatan said Willy was an ordinary peasant residing at Barangay Monte Calvario, Bulan, this province. He was an elected village councilor. It was a normal village life for him, but in June 2011, his fate had twisted and ran into tragic course.
One day in June, 2011, elements of 509th police battalion arrested him on trumped-up charges of rape as stated in a warrant of arrest, but when investigated by the police, the questions zeroed in with his “alleged” connections with NPA rebels, and his being a “rebel sympathizer”.
He was never investigated on the “alleged rape complaint” as stated in the warrant of arrest, Karapatan-Sorsogon narrated to online news BicolToday.com.
That time, human rights group Karapatan-Sorsogon had already intervened to help Willy find justice.
Willy died in prison on January 6, this year, and was buried Thursday, January 14.
His tragic fate was similar to Serrano of Naga City, who died in prison on trumped-up charges intended for an alleged rebel named “Rogelio Villanueva” who was never seen publicly, but exists only in the “military mind.”
(See related link: Remains of political detainee Eduardo Serrano to Naga City; fellow prisoners on hunger strike, protests shaping up ).
Serrano’s remains will be buried Sunday in Naga.
Aside from Geocado and Serrano, there are several hundreds of political prisoners languishing in State prisons, and many of them are accused of “trumped-charges”, a ploy by the military establishment to silence citizen’s dissent.
http://bicoltoday.com/2016/01/18/another-political-detainee-dies-in-prison/
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