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.
| 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
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 |