Party-list group opposes ‘Morong 43’ release

A suspected pro-military party-list group has formally opposed the release of the 43 health workers arrested in Morong, Rizal, last February for allegedly being communist rebels. In a protestation filed before the Morong Regional Trial Court branch 78, the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) said it agrees with the military’s claim that the health workers — dubbed as the Morong 43 — were members of the New People’s Army (NPA). The group was opposing the motion to withdraw criminal charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives earlier filed by Department of Justice (DOJ) against the 43. “I don’t believe that these people are ordinary health workers. They are communist party members who are being trained to become members of the medical team of the NPA," ANAD Rep. Pastor Alcover Jr. told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. President Benigno Aquino III last week ordered the dropping of charges against the 43 after finding that they were denied due process. The opposition party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, meanwhile, is calling for a congressional investigation on Aquino’s order on the Morong 43 case. House probe “We call for a House inquiry into this disturbing instruction from the Palace which conceals the truth and compromises justice and national security," Lakas-Kampi-CMD said in a statement read during the House minority bloc’s press conference Wednesday. Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said ANAD will file the resolution calling for the investigation. “Wala raw tumutol sa pagpapalaya ng Pangulo sa Morong 43. Kung babawiin ng gobyerno ang isinampang mga kaso, kami sa minoriya ang magsasampa, upang manaig ang mga proseso ng hustisya na batayan ng ating sistema ng katarungan," the statement read. (They say no one is opposing the President’s order to release the Morong 43. If the government will drop the charges, we in the minority bloc will file the resolution so that the process of justice will prevail.) The statement further said the information painstakingly gathered by the soldiers on the 43 have been ignored and the processes of the justice system “have been exchanged for the applause of a few." No hearings? In its protestation, ANAD said that the health workers should not be released because the DOJ did not conduct hearings before reinvestigating the case. The party-list group also argued that the motion for the withdrawal of the charges against the health workers did not comply with proper procedures, such as the issuance of a notice three days before the motion was released. “Why is the DOJ lawyering for these health workers? That department is supposed to be defending the government. Why is it intervening with the judiciary?" Alcover asked. Last Monday, the DOJ formally filed before the Morong RTC the motion for the release of the health workers, who have been detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for ten months now. ‘Useless piece of paper’ Lawyer Rachel Pastores, one of the counsel of the Morong 43, said the protestation filed by ANAD will likely be disregarded by the court. “I don’t think it will be given weight by the court. ANAD is not a legal personality in the case. Ano ang interes nila to complain na walang hearing (Do they have the right to complain that there was no hearing)?" she told GMANews.TV in a separate interview. Lawyer Julius Matibag, who also represents some of the health workers, said ANAD’s opposition to the health workers’ release will only be considered “merely as a scrap of paper" by the Morong RTC since it supposedly violates rules of procedure. “His [Alcover’s] opposition does not seek the approval of the court. It does not have a motion for intervention. We manifested to the court to treat it as a useless piece of paper," he said in a separate interview. The health workers’ camp also earlier said that they expect 36 of the detainees to be released within the week, since the court is set to issue a resolution on DOJ’s motion on Thursday morning. Alcover, for his part, said his group will respect whatever decision the court will reach. “At least may ginawa kami (we did something) to represent people against this Morong 43. We will respect the court’s decision on this case. Bahala na sila (It’s up to them)," he said. - with Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMANews.TV