Political prisoners to fast for 4 days until Sona

Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army chief Benito Tiamzon (left) and his wife, Wilma (right). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Political prisoners said they will go on a four-day fast until Monday, the day of the State of the Nation Address, to express their disgust with the Aquino administration.

“To show their disgust with the Aquino administration, political prisoners will start their fast today, Friday, that will last until the SONA on Monday,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan.

Members of Karapatan and Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) held a brief protest rally in front of Camp Crame Monday morning to slam the government’s treatment of political prisoners and to demand the imprisonment of all players in the pork barrel scam. They also demanded the release of political prisoners as they held up photos of their imprisoned comrades.

To take part in the fast are political detainees at the Philippine National Police custodial center in Camp Crame, the Taguig City Jail’s female dormitory, the Special Intensive Care Area in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, and the New Bilibid Prison’s maximum and medium security compounds.

There are 12 political detainees at the Camp Crame custodial center, including suspected rebel leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, Eduardo Serrano and Renante Gamara, the protesters said.

Palabay denounced the special treatment given to suspected plunderers, especially the beneficiaries and defenders of presidential pork.

In a statement, female detainees at the Taguig City Jail said their fasting was their way of slamming the administration for its mistakes.

“In our four-day fast, we want our voices to be heard in condemning Aquino for his sins against the people—his brutal anti-insurgency program, his economic program and his way of siphoning off the nation’s coffers,” the detainees said.

Political prisoners at the NBP in Muntinlupa City said those involved (in the pork scam) should be “held accountable, face criminal charges, and be ousted and jailed for pilfering the people’s money.”

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