Bishops to AFP: Respect rights of ‘Morong 43’

Breaking their two-month silence on the issue, Catholic bishops gave the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) a stern reminder Wednesday to respect the rights of the 43 health workers detained since February on suspicion of being communist rebels. In a statement signed by its president Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) branded the “illegal arrest and continued detention" of the 43 workers as a “serious threat to the civil liberties of the Filipino people." “The CBCP follows with grave concern the shifting accusations of the military against the health workers, the conflicting positions of government authorities on the legitimacy of the arrest and detention, and the seeming lack of regard of the AFP for human rights and the rule of law," Odchimar said. He added the CBCP is worried about the workers’ well-being, saying their detention in Camp Capinpin, a military camp in Tanay, Rizal, makes them vulnerable to abuses, torture, threats and intimidation. “Sustained exposure to psychosomatic strains may eventually break the fortitude and resistance of the Morong 43 into admitting under duress the accusations made against them," he said. As this developed, human rights group Karapatan said the Morong Regional Trial Court granted on Wednesday the petition to transfer 38 of the 43 workers from Camp Capinpin to Camp Crame, the headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP), in Quezon City. Renato Reyes, secretary general of the group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan who has been assisting the detained workers, also said lawyers and relatives would troop to Camp Capinpin to witness the serving of the court order and accompany the workers in the transfer. The five who would remain in Camp Capinpin are the ones alleged by the military as their “witnesses" in the case against the workers, Reyes added. CA scored In the statement, Odchimar voiced concerns on the delivery of justice after the Court of Appeals junked the workers’ petition for a writ of habeas corpus. “We are troubled by the reality that the Court has just, in effect, sanitized and legitimized the violations committed by the military against the health workers," he said, adding the CA failed to recognize that the arrest was deemed illegal because of a defective search warrant and contradictions in the military officers’ statements. Similarly, Odchimar said the credibility of the inquest proceedings and the subsequent filing of charges are in doubt because the accused were denied counsel during interrogation. He noted that statements or confession obtained during an illegal arrest are not admissible. “The issue is no longer about the Morong 43’s involvement or noninvolvement with the [New People’s Army] nor about the veracity of torture claims of the detainees. The issue is a fundamental one about the importance of government institutions maintaining an objective distance and observing the rule of law in its operations," he said. The bishop urged the AFP to support the inquiry being conducted by the Commission on Human Rights on the alleged human rights violations committed against the workers. Concern for church workers The CBCP also expressed concern for the safety of Church members doing service in communities, in light of the workers’ arrest. “Most of the Church’s development programs and ministries are community-based. Our clergy and laity work in rural areas and empower far-flung communities. Now, we could not help but fear that one day our efforts to help the poor and the marginalized will be perceived as threats, and that we may also be branded as insurgents," according to Odchimar. He added this is the moment to press for answers and remind government institutions of their mandate and fundamental principle to “impartially protect and defend the human rights." The CBCP statement came two months after soldiers arrested and detained 43 health workers in Morong town in Rizal, on the claim that they were communist rebels on a bomb-making training. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV