From Rappler (Jan 9):
Political prisoners to Francis: Hear our stories
Political detainees as well as families of desaparecidos and victims of extrajudicial will send letters to the Pope
PLEA TO THE POPE. Families of political prisoners and victims of human rights violations, including Andrea Rosal’s aunt and sister of the late Ka Roger, Fely Inandan (left), appeal to Pope Francis to intercede in the release of their loved ones. All photos by George Moya/Rappler
Families of
political prisoners, missing persons, and victims of extrajudicial killings
appealed to Pope Francis to intercede in the release of their loved ones, who
are languishing in jails over what they say are “trumped-up charges.” They will
send their personal letters through the bishops’ conference before the Pope’s visit
next week.
There are almost
500 political detainees in various penitentiaries in the Philippines,
according to human rights groups.
Felicidad R.
Inandan, sister of the late Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, former spokesperson of
the Communist Party of the Philippines, said, “We hope that they will finally
release my niece, who has been cleared of her charges.”
A pregnant Adrea
Rosal was detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, in March last year, over
charges of kidnapping, murder and attempted homicide. Her baby, Diona Andrea
Rosal, died two days after being born. The human rights group Karapatan blamed
the government of President Benigno Aquino III for the baby’s death.
According to
Inandan, Vice President Jejomar Binay personally assured her last year that
Rosal was going to be released soon. But she remains in prison.
On the other
hand, this is the second letter that Nikki Gamara will be sending to the
pontiff. She said she had previously sent an email through an Argentine cleric
reportedly close to the Pope.
Nikki’s father,
workers’ union organizer and peace consultant for the National Democratic Front
of the Philippines (NDFP) Renante Gamara, was arrested in 2012 over an alleged
case of “kidnapping with murder.”
Karapatan said
Gamara’s arrest violates the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees
(JASIG), which assures the safety and immunity of consultants and staff of both
the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, which are involved
in the peace process.
“We ask Pope
Francis to hear our stories, to see the real situation in the Philippines,
and to join us in our struggle for justice,” said Nikki.
Nikki’s mother is
currently in hiding, following what she says are fabricated charges of 12
murders. Although she fears the possibility that she may become a political
prisoner like her parents, the 25-year-old activist vowed to continue to fight
for justice.
DISTRAUGHT DAUGHTER. Nikki Gamara, daughter of incarcerated NDF peace consultant Renante Gamara, writes her second letter to Pope Francis. She has erlier sent the pontiff an email.
“Our son is
innocent,” lamented Amador Cadano, the 57-year-old father of Guiller Martin,
who was arrested by the military in Nueva Ecija in August 2014 on charges of
illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Guiller, 23, is
an alumni of the University of the Philippines-Pampanga and youth organizer of
Anakbayan Partylist. According to Cadano, his son was doing research on how
farmers were going to be displaced by the construction of a highway in Nueva
Ecija.
“They just want
to make an example out of my son, that they can do whatever they want to anyone
suspected of being a dissenter, and scare the people in the community,” Cadano
claimed.
Historical
precedents
“The papal visits
have positive historical significance in the struggle for human rights and justice
in the Philippines,”
said Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay.
During Pope John
Paul II’s first visit to the country in 1981, activists reportedly unfurled a
big streamer that caught the eye of the pontiff. It called for the release of
political prisoners, whose existence was denied by the government of the late
President Ferdinand Marcos.
“The people’s
movement raised the issue of the extent of political repression under the
Martial Law Regime, specifically the release of all political prisoners, which
was probably by the thousands,” Palabay explained.
Reports say Pope
John Paull II later sent Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Vatican Secretary of
State, to personally look into the situation of political prisoners in the Philippines.
This gave Marcos little choice but to release some of them.
RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS. The human rihgts group Karapatan claims there are almost 500 political prisoners in the Philippines
In 1995, during
the term of President Fidel V. Ramos, political prisoners from the post-martial
law era wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II on his second visit to the country.
“They appealed to the Pope to intercede on their behalf. They went on hunger strike,
and it resulted to their release,” Palabay recounted.
“We believe that
the Catholic Church and the Vatican
have compassion for victims of human rights violations,” said Palabay. “We are
appealing to Pope Francis to call for the release of the political prisoners.”
