PESANTE NEWS

February 14, 2010

PESANTE-USA CONDEMNS AFP"S DEFIANCE OF COURT ORDER ON MORONG 43

Los Angeles--The Philippine Support Network (PESANTE-USA) based in the United States condemns the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP for defying the court order to surface the illegally detained Morong 43.

Despite the order of the by the Supreme Court, the military and the police failed to present before the Court of Appeals Friday the 43 health workers arrested on Feb. 6 on suspicion of being members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

PESANTE said; "The AFP's defiance show that the military is above government instutions and has no accountability to anybody but itself. The belligerent statement of General Segovia, commander of the 2nd Division and Col Detayoto echoes the wardens of the martial law era and the existence of a de facto martial law situation in the Philippines."

Another fascist hireling, Col. Aurelio Baladad, the representative of the military at the habeas corpus hearing, told the appellate court that there was no time to coordinate security measures for the health workers’ transfer from Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, to Manila.

Very Tame Court of Appeals

Associate Justice Normandie Pizarro said the “essence” of the writ was “immediacy,” and that the failure of the respondent military and police officers to comply with the Supreme Court’s order might set a dangerous precedent on how habeas corpus orders would be dealt with in the future.

“You are the biggest armed group in the country. That is your job. That is your problem. You have to produce the living bodies,” Pizarro told Baladad.

Asked to explain the noncompliance with the high court’s order that the 43 detainees be presented to the appellate court on Friday, Baladad said the military received a copy of the directive issued on Wednesday only on Thursday.

Pesante condemns AFP False Charges

The “Morong 43”—including 62-year-old Dr. Alex Montes and Dr. Merry Mia-Clamor—were taking part in a health training seminar at a rest house in Morong, Rizal, on Feb. 6 when a military and police team raided the premises and arrested them.Assistant Solicitor General Renan Ramos yesterday told the appellate court that appropriate charges were filed against the health workers on Thursday.

Pesante also scores the DOJ as acting as persecutory arm of the AFP . The AFP raiders claimed to have found explosives at the seminar venue and accused the health workers of being NPA members

.The Health Alliance for Democracy and the Community Medicine Development Foundation, of which many of the health workers are members, have said that they were held incommunicado from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8. There were also allegations of sexual harassment and even torture.

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