On Denying Involvement in Morong 43 Involvement :“See you in Court!”, Morong 43 members tells GMA

“See you then in court!” is the quick reaction of Gary Liberal, spokesperson of the Morong 43 about the statement of Gloria Macapagal-Arrroyo, through her spokesperson, Elena Bautista-Horn that she had nothing to do with the Morong 43 case.

“GMA can deny her involvement all she wants of how we 43 health workers were illegally arrested, detained for one year, physically and mentally tortured during our incarceration. But the fact remains that GMA as Commander-in-Chief did not lift a finger to correct and act decisively on the wrongdoings, on the serious human rights violations committed against us by the military and police officers under her command,” furthered Liberal.

Up until GMA’s end of term in June 2010, Liberal shared that the their families and friends, the Morong 43 and other local and international networks have sought dialogues, made representations, written appeals and petitions to GMA to act on their illegal arrest and detention as well as to press for their immediate release. But all these efforts, Liberal said, “fell on deaf ears”.

“As Commander-in-Chief, GMA possessed control over the military. She cannot get away with the inhumane acts that her administration committed and tolerated. She must assume responsibility and made to account for the eleven months we Morong 43 were made to suffer and for all the other gross human rights violations committed under her leadership,” concluded Liberal.

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Reference:
Mr. Gary Liberal
Spokesperson, Group of Morong 43 Complainants
Mobile number: 0922-5751689

Morong 43 Files Criminal Raps Versus GMA, Military and PNP Officials

Saying they have “grown tired of the Aquino administration’s inaction in going after human rights violators”, several members of the Morong 43 today filed before the Department of Justice a criminal complaint against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and several military and police officials

The criminal complaint – the first criminal complaint involving human rights violations against the former president - for torture, violation of Republic Act 7438 (An Act Defining Certain Rights of Person Arrested, Detained or Under Custodial Investigation) and robbery was filed by Dr. Merry Mia Clamor, Dr. Alexis Montes, Gary Liberal- a registered nurse, Maria Teresa Quinawayan – a registered midwife, and community health workers Mercy Castro, Reynaldo Macabenta, Jane Balleta and Samson Castillo.

Among those charged with Arroyo are recently promoted military officials Lt. Gen. (now Major General) Jorge Segovia, Col. (now a brigadier general) Aurelio Baladad and Lt. Col. (now Colonel) Cristobal Zaragosa,

According to Liberal, spokesperson of the complainants, the recent promotion of Gen. Segovia, Col. Baladad and Col. Zaragosa “was the last straw” that prompted them to file the criminal complaint. “President Aquino himself, when he ordered our release in 2010, acknowledged that we were denied due process. More than a year has passed, not only has he done nothing to investigate the military officials involved, he even promoted them”, lamented Liberal. “Sobra na! Tama na!”

The complaint contained the individual accounts of torture of the complainants which include blindfolding for a prolonged period of time, physical and verbal abuse, threats against their person and their families, humiliating treatment and other forms of psychological torture.

Gen. Segovia was named respondent for being the immediate commanding officer of the military unit/s or personnel involved making him liable under the Anti-Torture Law. Respondent Col. Zaragosa, whose promotion was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments last February 23, 2012, together with another respondent Maj. Manuel Tabion, were identified in the complaint as those who directly supervised and participated in the torture of the complainants.

Former president Arroyo, former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado and former Army Chief Gen. Delfin Bangit were named respondents under the principle of command responsibility.

Also named respondents are Col. Joey Reyes , PNP officials P/Supt. Marion Balonglong, P/Supt. Allan Nobleza. Also included are the Morong 43’s military custodians at Camp Capinpin namely: Lt. Jovilee Cabading, a military officer who introduced himself as Vicente Lopez, and several military personnel known only as Bulaklak, Caloagan, Cea and Idloy. #

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Reference:
Gary Liberal
Spokesperson
0922 - 5751689

Carlos Montemayor, Jr.
Free the 43 Alliance
0923 - 2228285

Lawyers of Morong 43 decry cover-up by military, police

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Lawyers of health workers who filed a damage suit against former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and several military and police officials lambasted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) for withholding information about the respondents.

The P15-million ($365 thousand) damage suit was filed, on April 4, 2011, by six of the 43 health workers, also called Morong 43. The Morong 43 were arrested on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and were subjected to various forms of torture. However, months after summons have been issued by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court, several of the military and police respondents have not yet been notified of the charges.

The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), counsel for the complainants, asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Brig. Gen. Herbert Yambing of the Office of the Provost Marshall General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to locate and provide information on the “missing” respondents but both offices refused to provide any information.

Addressed at their last known assignments, the summons against Gen. Jorge Segovia, Lt. Col. Cristobal Zaragosa, Col. Aurelio Baladad, Lt. Col. Jaime Abawag, Maj. Manuel Tabion and P/Supt. Marion Balonglong were returned unserved because they were no longer assigned there. The summons to the respondents, in what is considered the first civil case for human rights violations against former president Gloria Arroyo and her security forces, were issued last November 28, 2011.

In a letter sent to the NUPL, Yambing declined to give information on the whereabouts of the military personnel purportedly because his office has “no direct knowledge” on the whereabouts of the military officers and that he supposedly has no authority to release such information. On the other hand, the PNP, through Records Management Division Chief Manuel Gaerlan, CEO VI, said in its reply that the names of Balolong and Nubleza, who have been publicly known to be part of the service, strangely do not appear in the roster of the PNP.

“This is tantamount to a cover-up of the military and the police for their peers whose accountability is being sought for their involvement in brazenly violating the rights of the Morong 43 health workers,” said Ephraim Cortez, NUPL assistant secretary for legal services.

“With their cynical unwillingness to cooperate, state security forces have put up another roadblock to justice that effectively frustrates efforts to seek accountability for human rights violations committed against the Morong 43 health workers,” said Cortez. “Either they are deliberately hiding information about those involved or they are giving us a run-around through technicalities in disclosing very simple standard details about their personnel for the purpose of serving summons, or both.”

Aside from Segovia, Zaragosa, Baladad, Abawag, Tabion, Balonglong and former president Arroyo, the other respondents in the case are former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, Gen. Victor Ibrado, and Gen. Delfin Bangit.

Arroyo, Bangit and Ibrado filed separate motions to dismiss the case. The NUPL already filed its reply to the motions. The court has yet to issue a resolution.

“This obstructionist attitude demonstrates the manifest bias of the military and the police in favour of those from their ranks who commit rights violations,” Cortez said.

“It shows once again how hard and sometimes frustrating it is to pursue justice for human rights violations under the present legal and judicial system and how impunity is perpetrated before, during and after a violation,” NUPL secretary general Edre U. Olalia said. “But we shall not let up. They cannot just get away with it just like that.”

One year after their release, Morong 43 still cry for justice

Today, as the world celebrates the International Day of Human Rights, members of the Morong 43 march with hundreds of others in Mendiola, Manila to amplify their call for justice.

“If there is one thing that 10 months of illegal incarceration and torture did to us, it is proving to ourselves and the people that the military under the Arroyo and Aquino governments failed to break our spirits in our quest for justice,” Nurse Gary Liberal said.

Marching alongside hundreds of others, whose economic and political rights are continued to be trampled upon, Liberal commented that the Aquino administration should work double time in building people’s confidence in the country’s justice system and not working “over-time in giving Mrs. Arroyo special treatment” by allowing her to stay in a plush presidential suite at Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

Liberal reminded Mr. Aquino that he should pay more attention to the inhumane conditions within regular detention facilities around the country before minding the health and comfort (including the installation of new toilets) of Mrs. Arroyo at VMMC. He added that ordinary prisoners die of curable and preventable diseases due to lack of medical attention, proper nutrition, and congestion. “He [Mr. Aquino] may be denying it, but according special treatment to Mrs. Arroyo speaks a lot about his bias for the rich and powerful.”

The spokesperson maintained that Mrs. Arroyo should be placed in a regular jail just like any regular civilian.

“It is shameful for Mr. Aquino to trumpet his parents’ legacy for being human rights defenders and staunch fighters for democracy while he continues to tolerate and encourage the culture of impunity by not doing anything to put make human rights violators accountable for their crimes. To date, not a single one of our torturers has been tried in court,” he added.

Liberal furthered that the best gift that Mr. Aquino could ever grant their families and those of other human rights victims and political prisoners is to “make Mrs. Arroyo and her cohorts pay for their crimes and grant general, omnibus, unconditional amnesty to more than 300 political prisoners in 65 jails nationwide.” This includes 2 of the Morong 43 who are still in jail.

He enjoined the Filipino people in their call to “end impunity, justice for the Morong 43, jail GMA now!”
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Giving in to constant local and international pressure on his government, Mr. Aquino declared that the charges against the 43 health workers will be dropped followed by orders to release them. On December 17, 2010, 36 of the Morong 43 walked free. Two of their colleagues are still in jail because of trumped-up charges slapped by a Metro Manila court.

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Reference:

Gary Liberal, R.N.
Spokesperson, Morong 43
Mobile: (0922)575 1689
Telefax: (+632) 929 8109