Bayan to Aquino: Look into political prisoners' plight

Militants urged President Benigno Aquino III over the weekend to look into the plight of some 300 political prisoners, whose situation deserves government action because they are unjustly being detained. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said most of the 300 were arrested during the watch of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, while several were arrested during Aquino's watch. “While the rich and powerful detainees are enjoying perks and privileges in their detention cells, we have more than 300 political prisoners languishing in jail for trumped-up charges. Some have been detained for years. All they seek is justice and freedom...," said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr., in an article posted on Bayan's website. Bayan noted the 300-plus political prisoners are scattered in detention facilities nationwide, including Camp Crame, Fort Bonifacio, Camp Bagong Diwa and provincial jails. It cited the case of detained cultural worker and writer Ericson Acosta who was arrested last February 13 on charges of illegal possession of explosives. At the time of his arrest in San Jorge town in Samar, he was in the company of a Barangay official and only possessed a laptop. Acosta was a former editor of the Philippine Collegian of UP Diliman and a one-time assistant section editor in the Manila Times. He is accused of carrying a grenade when he was accosted by the military. “The detention of hundreds of political dissenters is a stain on the human rights record of the Philippine government. Many of the detainees were arrested during the reign of terror of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Others were arrested as the peace talks under the Aquino government were about to begin. Their plight deserves immediate attention from the Aquino government," Reyes said. For now, Bayan said Acosta continues to write his "prison diary" and the entries are posted online in his "Jailhouse Blog" maintained by friends and colleagues. Reyes said the dropping of charges against the Morong 43 was a positive step undertaken by the government. "A follow-up to this can be made through the withdrawal of the charges against the remaining detainees, or the granting of a general amnesty for all political prisoners and thus effect their immediate release. The release of prisoners in relation to the peace process should also be pursued," he added. — LBG, GMA News