PNoy not keen on AFP apology to Morong 43

After ordering the withdrawal of the case against the 43 detained health workers, President Benigno Aquino III hinted he is not keen on having the military apologize to the detainees to further demonstrate his sincerity in upholding human rights. Aquino told reporters in Tarlac that he already showed government’s commitment to uphold the rights of the 43 by ordering the charges against them dropped, after learning of flaws in the basis for their arrest and detention. “I think we have already demonstrated and already rectified the situation ... Medyo too much naman yan (A public apology just to show our administration’s sincerity may be too much)," he said. On Friday, Aquino ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop the charges against the 43, which could lead to their eventual release from detention. He said that with the faulty search warrant, any evidence obtained using it would have become inadmissible as evidence in court. “We wanted to rectify the situation. That’s why as a necessary step the DOJ would withdraw the information filed," he said. But Aquino maintained it is still up to the courts to order the release of the 43. He added some of them have outstanding arrest warrants as they are subjects of other cases. Aquino also defended his action against those who claim his order may intensify the communist threat. “I think the fundamental thing that we want to demonstrate [is], this is a government that is operating under a set of laws, that we follow the laws of the land ... If we trample upon the rights of others in effect we will set the conditions for having more and more dissatisfaction with the system (and we will) fuel an insurgency. So people should be confident their rights will be rigidly observed under this administration," he said. The 43 health workers were arrested last February 6, in Morong town in Rizal province on suspicion they were members of the New People's Army. The joint police and military team in the Morong arrest had charged the 43 health workers with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. — LBG, GMANews.TV