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Action
Requested || Sample Letter || Background
Please respond immediately!!
Update
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Summary
On the morning of 6 February 2010, 43 community health workers were arrested
by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and elements of the 2nd Infantry
Division of the Philippine Army when they were taking part in a training on
community health service in the farmhouse of Dr. Melecia Velmonte in Morong, Rizal Province, East of Manila. The
military alleged that the workers might be undergoing a training on
bomb-making , possessing ammunition and that all of them are members of the
New People¡¦s Army (NPA). However, no concrete evidence was presented. The
17 men and 26 women were brought to the military's Camp Capinpin
in Rizal. Among the arrested, two were previously arrested in 1998 and
tortured till they confessed to be members of the NPA.
Around 300 heavily armed police and soldiers forced their way into the Dr.
Velmonte's house, failing to show any warrant addressed to Dr. Velmonte when
requested by the health workers. The workers were handcuffed, interrogated
and all their belongings were taken away by the military. The arrested male
workers were blindfolded for more than 36 hours until relatives of 8
detainees were allowed to enter the camp on Monday, along with Ms. Leila de
Lima, the chairperson of the Commission of Human Rights, who was allowed to
visit them.
The arrested health workers were forced into military trucks and brought to Camp Capinpin
in Tanay, Rizal., denied any visitations, even from families and lawyers, on
the excuse of prevention of "jailbreak". The detainees were
denied of food and it is alleged that they were subjected to various forms of
torture and sexual harassment. They were subjected to interrogation despite
their demand for legal counsel and even pregnant women were not spared. The
Military has since announced that several of the arrested were
charged with cases, including participating in an assassination attempt on
the then general and now Congressman Jovito Palparan.
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Action Requested
Please write polite letters expressing your
concern about the arrested; request the authorities to release the
health workers immediately and stop torturing them. Where possible,
please send letters by post in case emails are blocked.
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Send letters to:
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H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St.,
San Miguel
Manila Philippines
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Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 736 1010
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Send copies to:
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- Ms. Leila
De Lima
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines
- Representatives of
the Philippines
in your countries.
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Fax: (+632) 929 0102
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Sample Letter
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I am writing to express our concern about the arbitrary
arrest of 43 community health workers in Morong, Rizal Province,
on 6 February 2010. The health workers were brought to Camp Capinpin
in Tanay, Rizal, headquarters of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of the
Philippine Army. They were not allowed contact with anyone outside and
their well-being remains unknown.
According to local and international newspapers, including the New York
Times, the military arrested the group of community workers when they were
taking part in a training on community health service in a farmhouse of Dr.
Melecia Velmonte. Without showing any evidence, the military detained them
on charges of rebellion and storing ammunition, and refused any
visitations, even from families and lawyers. We also learnt that the search
warrant, dated 5 February, did not indicate the exact address of the Dr.
Velmonte¡¦s compound. Apparently, the arrest was not carried out according
to proper procedures.
We are disappointed that, rather than stopping rebellion, the military is
disturbing innocent civilians. Most of the arrested are affiliated with the
Council for Health and Development (CHD) and Community Medicine Development
Foundation (CMDF), NGOs striving for a better standard of medical services
in local communities, especially the remote areas. Framing human rights
workers as rebels has become a convenient tool to suppress criticism of the
Philippine government. Moreover, the military has denied the constitutional
rights of detainees to contact with the visitors and legal counsel.
This arbitrary arrest without proper procedure and adequate evidence has
diminished the international image of the Philippines. We urge you to immediately
release the 43 workers and stop ill-treatment of them.
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Background
The arrested workers, from Council for Health and Development (CHD) and Community
Medicine Development Foundation (CMDF), are volunteers providing services to
remote and backward communities. According to Dr. Geneve Rivera,
Secretary-General of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), the government
has been discrediting legal organizations which criticized the Arroyo regime.
During the arrest, the military showed a search warrant, dated 5 February
2010, which did not indicate the exact address of the Velmonte's compound.
The warrant did not specify their address, and the subject of the warrant,
Mario Condes, is not even the owner of the house.
All the arrested male workers were blindfolded for more than 36 hours until
Ms. Leila de Lima, the chairperson of the Commission of Human Rights, was
allowed to visit them on Monday. During their custody, they were subjected to
inquest proceedings before a local prosecutor's office for charges of illegal
possession of firearms.
According to Dr. Rivera, one of the detained men already had sore arms and
wrists from being tied down for so long and some had their pictures taken
without their consent. Dr. Alex Montes, who is already 60 years old, was
electrocuted and repeatedly hit on the chest while being questioned. The pain
was so much that after several hours, he was willing to admit to anything if
only to end the brutal punishment he was receiving.
The military has violated the Anti-Torture Act, which provides under Section
4 (b) for the imprisonment of military and police elements who "prohibit
the victims from communicating with members of his/her family" and who
blindfold those in their custody.
While the military finally allowed visitation of the workers, they announced
that several of the arrested had pending cases in courts, including taking
parting in an assassination attempt of then general and now congressman
Jovito Palparan.
The families of the detained workers have applied for a writ of habeas
corpus. The writ of habeas corpus is used to require a person to be brought
before a judge or court, and to protect him or her against illegal
imprisonment.
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Sources:
The Inquirer, the ABS-CBN News, the New York Times, Karapatan, Health Alliance for Democracy,
Asian Human Rights Commission
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