Two more 'Morong 43' members moved to unidentified site

Two more members of the so-called ‘Morong 43’ have been taken out of a military camp in Rizal and later transferred to an unidentified location, a human rights group said. With the transfer, five health workers are now separated from the group. The two have been identified as Jennilyn Pizarro and John Mark Barrientos, Karapatan deputy secretary general Roneo Clamor, husband of one of the 43 detained health workers, said. Clamor said his detained wife had relayed to him — during one of his regular visits to Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal — that Pizarro and Barrientos had not been seen at the military camp for the past week. "Dagdag silang dalawa doon sa tatlo na pinilit na umamin dahil sa torture at sa threats (They were the latest addition to health workers who were forced to confess through torture and threats)," Clamor said in an interview. Three other health workers — Eleonor Carandang, Cherrielyn Tawagon and Valentine Paulino — were taken away from their colleagues on March 1 to a then unknown place. [See: Three of Morong 43 detainees ‘secretly transferred’—Karapatan] Before they were separated from the "Morong 43," the three women allegedly admitted in a counter-affidavit that they were New People's Army rebels and denied allegations that they were sexually and physically abused while in detention. The 43 health workers were arrested last February 6 reportedly while undergoing a health training seminar in a rest house in Morong, Rizal. But the military claimed they caught the group in the middle of a bomb-making training session, adding the health workers were members of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). [See: AFP: 43 nabbed in doc’s home are ‘rebel trainees’] Armed with a search warrant, the military arrested the 43 health workers and detained them at Camp Capinpin — where they have been staying for more than a month now. The latest transfer of Pizzaro and Barrientos was still part of the military's "divide and conquer" tactic to force the health workers into admission, Clamor said. Pizzaro and Barrientos could eventually be tortured and forced to confess being communist rebels, just like what was reportedly done to Carandang, Tawagon, and Paulino, Clamor said. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos confirmed to GMANews.TV that five health workers from the "Morong 43" have already been staying at a separate facility inside Camp Capinpin since last week. "But they were transferred per their request. They requested for a chance to be separated from the group," Burgos added. The military official said the transfer of the five members of the Morong 43 came after they refused services from lawyers being offered by Karapatan. Burgos also said the five "have expressed intentions to return to the fold of the law." Forced visit Clamor said during another visit to the Morong 43, Pizarro's sister Junielyn had already gone inside the premises of Camp Capinpin when she learned that her detained sister had already been "transferred." Knowing that her sister was no longer there, Junielyn changed her mind and made her way out of the military camp, but not before two military officers approached her and forced her to proceed inside. "Pinipilit siyang dumalaw dahil nandoon pa raw ang kapatid niya [They insisted that her sister was still at the camp and had even insisted her to drop by the detention cell]," Clamor said. Junielyn refused the offer and left the military camp. Clamor also said that Carandang's four children, including her three-year-old son, were earlier taken by military officials to Camp Capinpin and have not yet been returned to their family. The soldiers who reportedly fetched Carandang's children told her sister — who was taking care of them — that Carandang asked that they be brought to the camp. "Kumukuha kasi talaga sila ng kamag-anak at ginagamit ito para paaminin sila [The military takes custody of one of the Morong 43's relatives to convince them to admit being communist rebels]," Clamor said. But Burgos denied Clamor's allegations, saying "Hindi po totoo iyan. Wala po sa amin ang mga anak ni [Carandang] at walang militar na nag-abduct sa kanila." (That’s not true. Carandang’s children are not with us and that the military didn’t abduct them.) Government forces have already filed charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against the Morong 43 before a Rizal court. The Court of Appeals had earlier junked a petition filed by the relatives of the Morong 43 for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus. [See: CA junks Morong 43's habeas corpus plea; lawyers to seek SC review] The appellate court said it was leaving to the Rizal court hearing the criminal charges to determine whether the health workers had been illegally and arbitrarily arrested and detained. An investigation by the Commission on Human Rights into alleged human rights violations against the Morong 43 is set to begin Thursday. Ranking military and police officials had been summoned for the hearing. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV