Philippines: Ang Bayan – Strengthen people’s solidarity with political prisoners
We hereby share an article published in the last issue of Ang Bayan.
The Marcos regime’s iron bars and suppression campaigns could not stop the ardent patriotic spirit and struggle of political prisoners in the Philippines. It is just that the Filipino people reciprocate with giving them unwavering support and solidarity.
Political prisoners are victims of the reactionary state’s brutal counter-revolutionary war. They were arrested and detained for fighting for the toiling masses’ interests. They were charged with criminal cases to obscure the political nature of their cases. Their continued imprisonment violates the civil rights of political prisoners.
Karapatan currently records no less than 757 political prisoners in the country. Among them are 103 elderly and 97 sick, 156 women and 17 National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace talks consultants and staffers. The Marcos regime arrested and jailed no less than 148 political prisoners.
Political prisoners and ordinary prisoners endure dire conditions in the country’s jails. There are two types of prisoners: 117,850 prisoners awaiting court trial in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) jails and 53,397 convicted prisoners in Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) prisons.
Their main problem is the country’s slow pace of justice, resulting in extremely overcrowded jails. They are made to suffer inadequate and unnutritious food in jails, poor medical services, and extreme restrictions of prison visitors.
Trials take years or even decades. Some are released after being acquitted, but only long after languishing in prison. Some political prisoners have been acquitted of the original case but are charged by the military with more cases to prevent their release. Human rights groups have recorded eight political prisoners who died of illness and old age under the Marcos regime, while 12 died under the Duterte regime. The rate of suicide due to hopelessness among Filipino prisoners is also reportedly rising.
Solidarity and support
National-democratic groups and human rights organizations have intensified their campaigns to support and free political prisoners since the second half of 2024. Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto and 13 other organizations led a new campaign on June 27, 2024, at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City.
Kapatid, an association of relatives of political prisoners and volunteers, helped conduct a series of visits and support for political prisoners, especially in December 2024. They brought material support as a celebration of Christmas and to boost the morale of political prisoners.
Church people, workers, youth students, and other sectors visited the jails in Taguig City, Mandaluyong City, Quezon City, Muntinlupa City, Pampanga, Tacloban City, and other places. Various organizations, including associations of Filipino and foreign migrants, launched letter-writing and donation campaigns.
This year’s second visit peaked with a celebration of holy mass by the newly installed Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David on December 26, 2024, in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City. Among those he fraternized with were detained NDFP peace consultants. San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza also held a mass in Bago City District Jail in Negros Occidental on December 30, 2024.
The two church leaders called for the immediate release of political prisoners. They also called on the government to pass a law that would give just compensation to prisoners who suffered long imprisonment but later acquitted by the court.
In all these activities, political prisoners demonstrated their unwavering commitment and spirit for the national and democratic aspirations of the people.
