"While the whole world celebrated Mother’s Day, a mother in jail, Miradel Torres, dreads the day she and her more than five-month old baby Karl will be separated," Karapatan secretary general, Cristina Palabay said. That day will most probably come when this little boy turns exactly six months on May 19.
Torres, a political prisoner who was falsely charged with murder and frustrated murder, lost hope of immediately getting out of jail with her baby when, on April 13, 2015, the Quezon Regional Trial Court Branch 65 denied Torres’ counsels’ motion to quash for “want of merit,” citing the testimony of Pfc. Mc Ronald Bamba. "From the foregoing testimony of victim-prosecution eyewitness Pfc. Ronald M. Bamba, probable cause exists," Presiding Judge Arnelo C. Mesa said.
Pfc. Bamba is a member of the Alpha Company, 16th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said to be one of the victims of the ambush from which Torres’ case was based.
"The testimony of PFC Bamba is unbelievable and inconsistent. First, he failed to directly name Torres in his testimony. Second, he based the names he enumerated in his affidavit supposedly from the roll call done by the armed men whom he claimed ambushed them. It is unlikely that armed persons, after a firefight, will do a roll call of their names. It is also unlikely that Bamba will be able to remember more than 20 names involved in the firefight several years after, and under such circumstances," Palabay said. "It is more logical to believe that the Philippine Army invented PFC Bamba’s story to prosecute their perceived enemies and imprison them," Palabay said.
"While the whole world celebrated Mother’s Day, a mother in jail, Miradel Torres, dreads the day she and her more than five-month old baby Karl will be separated," Karapatan secretary general, Cristina Palabay said. That day will most probably come when this little boy turns exactly six months on May 19.
Torres, a political prisoner who was falsely charged with murder and frustrated murder, lost hope of immediately getting out of jail with her baby when, on April 13, 2015, the Quezon Regional Trial Court Branch 65 denied Torres’ counsels’ motion to quash for “want of merit,” citing the testimony of Pfc. Mc Ronald Bamba. "From the foregoing testimony of victim-prosecution eyewitness Pfc. Ronald M. Bamba, probable cause exists," Presiding Judge Arnelo C. Mesa said.
Pfc. Bamba is a member of the Alpha Company, 16th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said to be one of the victims of the ambush from which Torres’ case was based.
"The testimony of PFC Bamba is unbelievable and inconsistent. First, he failed to directly name Torres in his testimony. Second, he based the names he enumerated in his affidavit supposedly from the roll call done by the armed men whom he claimed ambushed them. It is unlikely that armed persons, after a firefight, will do a roll call of their names. It is also unlikely that Bamba will be able to remember more than 20 names involved in the firefight several years after, and under such circumstances," Palabay said. "It is more logical to believe that the Philippine Army invented PFC Bamba’s story to prosecute their perceived enemies and imprison them," Palabay said.
The same sworn statement was used against political prisoners Renante Gamara, Raul Camposano and Randy Vegas. Gamara, a consultant for the National Democratic Front, is detained at the Custodial Center of Camp Crame while Camposano and Vegas are detained at Daet, Camarines Norte. "As a result, women like Miradel has to struggle to keep her child while proving her innocence in court," Palabay said.
Now, Torres will remain at the Taguig City Jail while her baby will be separated from her. Torres has to give up breastfeeding her baby. Torres and her baby stay in a 4 x 5 meter cell, which was used as infirmary, with four others. Now that there are cases of tuberculosis at the TCJ Female Dorm, Torres and the other occupants will have to move out and squeeze themselves in a much more cramped cell.
"A mother would fight to care for her child, but Torres’ detention deprives her and the child to be together, in violation of the established international human rights instruments covering nursing mothers and rights of children," Palabay said.
Torres was four months pregnant and suffering from threatened abortion when arrested last June 20, 2014 in Lucena City, Quezon Province. The court allowed Torres to stay at the Philippine General Hospital after birth on November 19, 2014 to recover and give way to breastfeeding. After two months, she and her baby was brought back to the Taguig City Jail (TCJ). Fellow women political detainees at the TCJ plan to have Torres’ baby baptized before the said separation.
Karapatan reiterated its call to free release Torres on just and humanitarian grounds. ###