Free all political prisoners? ‘In reasonable time,’ says Bello

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday faced Inquirer editors and reporters in the paper’s headquarters in Makati City. ANTHONY Q. ESGUERRA/INQUIRER.net

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday said the government could not just release all political prisoners at the same time.

In an Inquirer Live interview, Bello, who is part of the government peace panel in the talks with communist rebels, said their counterparts should understand that President Rodrigo Duterte could not just grant amnesty to all political prisoners as some cases are judicial matters.

“Some are still undergoing investigation, some are under trial, and some have been convicted. We have to understand the processes….We will obtain their release in a reasonable time,” Bello said.

“The President can’t just allow the release of a detainee under trial. It’s a judicial matter,” he added.

Bello said what was important at present was Duterte’s commitment in releasing the prisoners and the government’s sincerity in addressing the decades-long armed struggle.

Bello said the next batch of political prisoners to be freed that the government was addressing would comprise of women, sickly, and the elderly.

The government earlier released political prisoners involved in the Oslo peace talks, including consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

READ: Draft amnesty for jailed rebels now with Duterte – negotiator

Asked about the rebels’ “amnesty first before ceasefire,” request, Bello said: “We don’t tie up the release with the ceasefire.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday maintained that the government will not grant amnesty to political prisoners “until the last stage of negotiations.”

READ: No amnesty for political prisoners until end of talks–Lorenzana

“I think he’s (Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza) very firm in his stand that there will be no amnesty, before ceasefire,” Lorenzana said. “He fears that if we free all these more than 500 detainees now and then the peace talks collapse, then we have 500 probable adversaries later on.” TVJ