2 more 'Morong 43' health workers freed

Two of the five remaining "Morong 43" health workers still detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City were released on Tuesday after police verified that they were not the same people who bear the same names and face pending cases in different courts. Aldrin Garcia and Antonio de Dios should have been among those released two weeks ago after the Department of Justice dropped the charges against the Morong 43, but their release was deferred when DOJ information showed that the two appeared to have pending criminal cases. According to court records, a certain "Aldrin Garcia" has a standing arrest warrant from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 91 for drug dependency. A certain "Antonio de Dios" meanwhile is wanted for violating the Anti-Bouncing Check Law, in a case handled by the Parañaque MTC Branch 77. But after verifying with the two respective courts, police found out that those in the charge sheets were "most likely" not the detained health workers. "After verification, hindi na-prove na sila ang hinahanap ng courts. Kulang sa pinanghahawakan ebidensya kaya pinalaya na sila," Metro Manila District Jail warden Baby Noel Montalvo told GMANews.TV. (After verification, it couldn’t be proved that they were the ones sought by the courts. There was insufficient evidence so they were released.) Montalvo said the suspects' names listed in the court records were "kulang-kulang" (incomplete) and could not be determined to be the same as those of the two health workers. He further said the photo attached to the warrant of arrest of "Antonio de Dios" facing a bouncing-check case in Parañaque did not look like the detained health worker with the same name.

A lawyer of the 'Morong 43' shows documents proving that health worker Antonio de Dios (photo in left document) is different from Antonio de Dios (in right document), who is facing bouncing check charges. The health worker was released Tuesday. Benjie Castro

On the other hand, the rehabilitation center which declared the accused in the QC case as a drug dependent confirmed to police that he was not the same “Aldrin Garcia" as the health worker, the jail warden also said. The 43 health workers were arrested in Morong, Rizal for allegedly attending a bomb-making training as members of the New People’s Army. The "Morong 43" group claimed they were merely participating in a health training program, although the military insists that five members of the group now separately detained at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal have admitted membership in the NPA. 'Still furious because of illegal detention' While expressing joy in being freed, Garcia said he remains furious because of the group’s supposedly illegal detention. [See related: Court orders release of ‘Morong 43’ health workers] After 10 months, the DOJ dropped the charges against the 43 because of legal defects in the arrest warrant issued by a judge in Batangas and served by a military-police team that conducted the raid, search and arrest in Morong. "Nagagalit ako lalo na sa mga humuli sa amin, kasi umabot kami ng higit 10 buwan kaya nakakadismaya," he said before leaving the detention facility. (I’m furious especially at those who arrested us, because we spent more than 10 months in jail, and that’s just so sad.) De Dios, on his way out of jail, continued to insist that they were not rebels. "Hindi kami mga NPA kundi kami ay health workers na tumutulong sa mahihirap na hindi kaya magpagamot sa ospital," he said. (We are not NPA. We are health workers who serve the poor who can’t afford to seek hospital care.) The three who remain detained at Camp Bagong Diwa are Eulogio Castillo, facing charges of murder, usurpation of authority, and violation of the Anti-Bouncing Check Law; Edwin Bustamante, facing a rape charge before a Las Piñas court; and Mario delos Santos, facing murder and serious illegal detention charges before an Oriental Mindoro court. Lawyers of the Morong 43 have repeatedly insisted that the three, like Garcia and De Dios, must also be freed because they are innocent of these charges and are mere victims of mistaken identity. Camp Capinpin 5 Five other original members of the Morong 43 were separated from the group after they supposedly admitted in March that they were indeed rebels. The five are Ellen Carandang, Cheryllyn Taoagon, Valentino Paulino, Jennyllyn Pizzaro, and John Mark Barrientos. While the charges against them were dropped, the five have allegedly opted to stay in military custody and are set to enrol in the government's Social Integration Program (SIP). De Dios said he respected his five colleagues' admission, but stressed they were speaking for themselves and not on behalf of the entire group. "Sa kanila na lang iyon [They decided only for themselves]," he said.—JV, GMANews.TV