Freedom without justice is useless!
Regarding the status of the Morong 43, the military, and Noynoy Aquino's trashing of accusations due to insufficient evidence
by Lualhati Madlangawa Guererro
Lat year, 43 health workers, including doctors, nurses and midwives, were arrested on a Saturday morning. These practitioners felt the agony as they endure the maltreatment, torture, and accusation made by the fascists simply because for the enemy, they are "Terrorists."
Yes, as Colleagues and relatives of the imprisoned said that the imprisoned 43 health workers were holding a health training and seminar, while the military insisted that they were NPA members and were caught in the act of making explosives and other related acts just to justify their capture and detainment in Camp Capinpin in Rizal.
These health workers are simply conducting trainings in regards to health in ensuring the well being of the people-they are also simply preferring to involve in a community health service program instead of the usual migrating to other countries in search of a better job like in US or in Canada. How come the military, for being hysterical same as its allies simply looked at them as Terrorists?
One right-wing group even created some statements justifying that they are Terrorists, members of the New Peoples Army or whatsoever just to justify their incarceration. From forced confessions and other related acts, they look upon to it as the truth-thanks for the torture and threat made by the soldiers, forcing them to tell that they are rebels!
But still,
Despite the pain endured, hope for their freedom remains as people sympathized with their plight- as these prisoners, accused for a crime not being committed, or rather say for being activists and wanting to practise their profession as community health service providers, wanted to pursue their professions wholehartedly in the communities wherein hospitals are far distant, or other medical providers seldom visited. They are even simply just progressives as they, wanting change in a community or even the nation itself, willing to contribute something that is closer to the people-like the barefoot doctors in China or the Peace Corps as examples.
They even resorted to hunger strikes as a means of protest in achieving justice as the military, being an oppressive being used to block their means to achieve their freedom. Some of the imprisoned are pregnant and gave birth in prisons or in heavily guarded hospitals yet, they are prohibited in taking care of their offspring off bars. Isn't it desperate for the enemy that they are denying their captives rights aside from torturing them, accusing them as rebels, anything that can be detrimental to their lives, their health.
There are even individuals, just like the military, even criticized, or rather say assailed the 43 subjectively like those of their armed counterparts-aside from accusing them as terrorists, as rebels or communists, wanting them to die as possible:
"I say, let them go on hunger strike, that's their choice. That should not be the means to their freedom. It would be foolish for the government to give-in to them because they are falling one after another like flies.
It's their choice. Let them die. Frustrated bombers!
Continue the hunger strike... and then what die? ... Fools! You are just making the job for the military a lot easier. The government should not give in, let them die. Its their choice after all."
Well...
Their foul-mouthed sentiments are as if like those of the Nazis or individuals loyal to Pinochet since those regimes created martyrs, affected, survivors chanting for justice against officials who tortured, maltreated, and even falsely accused them. After all, if one of them die, are they enjoying their statement if fulfilled? To them, these people are not political prisoners, but mere criminals who deserved to die regardless of their cause, innocence.
Speaking of the latter quote, he even said that "let the courts decide, to have a due process" but how come he wanted the courts to decide and to have a due process as he opposed attempts for amnesty? Due process to those who denied the right to due process when they were arrested and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives?
And as time goes by, some of them fell sick and thin until they broke their fasting on the day their cases being opened. The enemy again, and its allies created counterstatements, justifications in regards to their incarceration yet failed due to the statements coming from parents, relatives, friends who sought the results coming from their beloved's plight as accused, tortured, maltreated prisoners denied of justice.
As according to the news made last December 5, said:
"According to Rivera, some of the detainees now need medical attention, citing the case of Jane Balleta who suffered an epileptic seizure Saturday night. Dr. Merry Mia Clamor, one of the detainees, reported to Rivera that there were no available medical personnel from the jail management to attend to Balleta.
Rivera said other health workers on hunger strike are also experiencing dizziness and headache.
“Both male and female Morong detainees are determined to go on hunger strike and we respect that. We hope that Warden Clemente would be responsible enough and accept that we are willing enough to provide medical services we know their facility may not be able to provide," Rivera said.
These are the products of denying justice, of torture and maltreatment. Again, will those who continue accuse and assail kept on accusing them, remain aloof?
Well...
Last December 10, President Noynoy Aquino, in his speech during the Human Rights Day, said that his administration recognizes that the "Morong 43" were denied the right to due process when they were arrested and being charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives according to the military. As he said:
"As a government that is committed to the rule of law and the rights of man, this cannot stand. Therefore, I have ordered the DOJ to withdraw the informations filed before the court. This will in effect, subject to court approval, free those among them who have no other standing warrants in other courts," he said at the celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Let this be a concrete example of how our administration is working in the broad light of day to build a country where the law protects us equally. The culture of silence, injustice and impunity that once reigned is now a thing of the past."
If so, then good as the detained would be possibly be freed and embrace freely their families and continue their willingness to become community health service professionals in the every province, ghetto, or other communities without proper health care. That is freedom with justice to the accused individuals who are simply doing something just for the people since freedom without justice for the accused is useless-freedom that is, merely in the papers, propaganda fodder.
But then, despite the possible warm embraces and fresh air in their noses, there should be a higher degree of people's vigilance as the enemy would create something nastier than their "legitimate" action. We must remember the past wherein they did something extrajudicial like the killings of Olalia and Alay-ay, of Lean Alejandro and others who, being activists, progressives, especially once-imprisoned individuals then freed, end up killed, disappeared for their cause.
After all,
Freedom without justice for the political prisoners is useless!
