Physicist seeks justice for detention

Kim Gargar, a physicist and former University of the Philippines professor who was tagged a communist guerrilla, arrested and detained by the military, is a free man who won’t let the injustice done to him pass.

In a statement released by Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (Agham), a group of scientists that includes Gargar, the physicist who was accused of joining the New People’s Army in 2012 said he would continue to pursue justice.

Gargar was arrested by soldiers from the 67th Infantry Battalion on Oct. 1 last year in a village in Cateel town, Davao Oriental province, while doing research work in areas devastated by Typhoon “Pablo.”

In the statement, Gargar said his release was “no thanks to the Aquino government that makes it hard for political prisoners like me to regain our liberty and go about helping marginalized communities.”

Gargar had been detained in a Baganga town jail, charged with illegal possession of explosives, attempted murder and violation of the election gun ban.

The Baganga Regional Trial Court allowed him to post bail 10 months into his imprisonment.

“Despite the efforts of the government to suppress my freedom and keep me from doing my work, I am grateful to have lived with other detainees who are also neglected by the government,” the Agham statement quoted Gargar as saying.

“The situation inside the prison cell is no different from the situation that led me to Mindanao in the first place,” said Gargar.

“Almost two years after Typhoon Pablo, people are left to recover by themselves without government help and are still seeking rehabilitation. My detention has only strengthened my conviction to help others,” he said.