Free young political detainees, UP, youth groups ask Palace

MANILA, Philippines—The University of the Philippines and various youth and human rights groups urged Malacañang to free all political detainees, following the recent Supreme Court order for the military to release UP students and activists Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.

“We call on law-enforcement agencies to expedite the resolution of these cases,” UP president Alfred Pascual said in a press conference at the UP College of Mass Communication on Thursday.

Empeño and Cadapan, along with farmer Manuel Merino, were allegedly abducted by military agents in Hagonoy, Bulacan, on June 26, 2006. They are missing to this day, but the Supreme Court recently ordered retired Army Major General Jovito Palparan Jr. and five of his personnel to immediately release the three. The Army has denied having the activists in their custody.

“Five years is too long for a case to remain unsolved in a democratic country,” Pascual pointed out on Thursday.

He added that UP has been closely monitoring and assisting in the case of UP Diliman film student Maricon Montajes, who has been in jail in the Batangas provincial jail since she was arrested in Taysan along with Ronilo Baes, 19, and Anakbayan community organizer Romiel Canete, 22, on June 6, 2010, by the Philippine Air Force.

Charges of frustrated murder and homicide, illegal possession of firearms and violation of the election gun ban have been filed against the three.

Pascual assured the UP community that his office would be willing to extend legal assistance to students whose “rights are under threat.”

On Thursday, the youth groups including the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, Karatula, the UP Sining at Lipunan, the League of Filipino Students and the National Union of Students in the Philippines also called for the release of activist, writer and UP alumnus Erickson Acosta.

Acosta remains jailed in Samar province after being arrested on February 13 on charges of illegal possession of explosives.

Of more than 300 present political prisoners in the country, 59 belong to the youth sector, according to Anakbayan national chairman Vencer Crisostomo. Crisostomo noted that there have been no changes to the human rights situation in the country under President Aquino’s administration.

The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) alleged that under Aquino’s administration, there have been 45 extrajudicial killings, five enforced disappearances and more than 100 political detentions.

“We are calling for a general, unconditional, omnibus amnesty for all political prisoners,” akin to that granted by former President Corazon Aquino when she assumed office, Selda secretary general Angie Ipong said.

Ipong, a National Democratic Front consultant, was released in February after being detained for six years in Mindanao for rebellion, murder and arson charges. The charges have been dismissed.