International concern on Morong 43 mounts as Palace takes hands-off stance

International attention to the 43 health workers arrested by the Army as alleged rebels continued to mount, with an international humanitarian organization set to check on the detainees’ conditions later this week while Christian groups abroad voiced alarm about possible abuses. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday it has asked military officials to grant its representatives access to the workers currently detained at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal province, to look at Philippine prison conditions and make recommendations for improvement. “We want to go there to check on the treatment and status of the detainees," said Jean-Daniel Tauxe, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines, in a media briefing. Tauxe, however, said they would not make their findings public, adding the organization is “non-political" and is not acting as a judge on the issue. The health workers, including two doctors, a nurse and a midwife, were arrested on February 6 in Morong town in Rizal by a combined Army and police operatives on the suspicion of being members of the New People’s Army (NPA). The 43, however, insisted that they were attending a health training in a farmhouse owned by Dr. Melecia Velmonte, a renowned infectious disease specialist. Military officials on Wednesday welcomed ICRC’s move, saying they expect its representatives to visit the detainees either Thursday or Friday. ‘Cruel and inhumane treatment’ As this developed, international pressure to release the health workers, who have been detained for almost two weeks now, also continued to grow. In a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Switzerland-based World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit asked that the 43 be immediately released, saying he is dismayed that they were arrested “while they were involved in legitimate activities of humanitarian services as part of their Christian witness." Geneva-based World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) general secretary Rev. Michael Wallace also expressed alarm at the arrests. Wallace and WSCF chairman Horacio Mesones said they believe such actions and similar other incidents in the Philippines are "intimidation tactics to frighten and weaken those who struggle for human rights and to alleviate the sufferings of the marginalized." Meanwhile, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States has written Mrs. Arroyo to express its alarm over the abduction of the health workers. “We urge you to ensure the safety of those who are being held in this incident. We ask that full disclosure be made of the charges on which they are being held. If the evidence for these charges is not forthcoming and compelling, then they should be released immediately," the letter read. Objection from EU president’s sister As this developed, a sister of the European Union's recently-elected President Herman Van Rompuy has added her voice to the growing international protest. In a statement issued from Belgium, Christine Van Rompuy, who is also a nurse, called on Mrs. Arroyo for the health workers’ immediate release as she expressed “strong objection to their illegal arrest and detention without warrant." "As a nurse who has visited the Philippines, I personally know and note that the organizations of these detained health workers do an excellent job. They provide primary health care in the poorest areas of the Philippines. They are brave men and women who defy very difficult circumstances to help their fellow citizens," said Van Rompuy. Various groups in New Zealand also reminded Mrs. Arroyo of Republic 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, as they expressed “shock and outrage" over the mental and other forms of torture allegedly undergone by the detainees to force them to admit that they are NPA members. Organizations and individuals in Canada likewise expressed concern about the increase in the number of abductions and violence in the country in light of the coming national elections. Chapters of the migrants’ rights group Migrante International in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the Middle East have also issued separate statements condemning the arrest and detention of the health workers. No Malacañang intervention Despite the outcry, Malacañang has so far distanced itself from the Army’s arrest and detention of the health workers, saying that cases have already been filed and it is now up to the courts to resolve them. At a press briefing, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the issue is already "being handled carefully" by the Armed Forces and the Defense department. “Hindi na kailangang manghimasok ang Malacañang (Malacañang need not intervene)," he said. Deputy presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo agreed with Ermita, saying a writ of habeas corpus has already been issued and that the case is already pending before the court. “Since this is already in the courts, we need to respect the process," he said, adding the legal process may be affected if the President made a comment.—Jerrie M. Abella and Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV