Makabayan bloc wants probe of PH’s rising number of political prisoners

Makabayan bloc during a press briefing at the House of Representatives on October 9, 2019. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO / NOY MORCOSO

MANILA, Philippines — The six-man Makabayan opposition bloc in the House is calling for an investigation into the “escalating trend of systemic repression” in the country that has allegedly increased the number of political prisoners by 86 percent since November last year under the Duterte administration.

Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Eufemia Cullamat and Ferdinand Gaite, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago filed on Wednesday House Resolution No. 566, lamenting that the Philippines has 629 political prisoners as of end-November 2019. The lawmakers said 382 of whom, or about 61 percent, were arrested since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016.

“There has been an alarming increase by 86 percent in the number of political prisoners from 540 in November 2018 despite the Philippine Constitution’s expressed prohibition on political imprisonment and political persecution…” the progressive congressmen noted in the resolution.

Article 3, Section 18 (1) of the Bill of Rights states that: “No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political beliefs or aspirations.” This exists alongside constitutional safeguards on equal protection of the law, due process, the presumption of innocence, and other basic rights of the accused.

The lawmakers said they filed the resolution following the raids executed in offices of people’s organizations in Negros and Manila last November. These raids, they said, showed how the judicial system is being used to “persecute and harass government critics and activists.”

“While 50 out of the 57 arrested in the Negros raids have been released due to lack of legitimate charges against them, 7 remain detained, facing a variety of contrived charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosive,” the Makabayan solons said.

The legislators also stressed that political prisoners are “a mirror of a government’s respect… for the most basic rights and freedoms of its citizens.”

“And all the repressive measures against political prisoners and their continued detention have no place in a country that prides itself as Asia’s first constitutional republic,” they added.

Edited by JPV