"Special treatment for someone responsible for 1,206 extrajudicial killings and 206 enforced disappearances is unacceptable," Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan said.
"Special treatment for someone responsible for 1,206 extrajudicial killings and 206 enforced disappearances is unacceptable," Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan said.
“The gap between the rich and poor, between the powerful and the powerless can never be as glaring as this. The Sandiganbayan allowed Gloria Arroyo to visit the wake and attend the funeral of his grandson, nine hours daily for one week until the internment. Political prisoner Andrea Rosal, whose baby died due to lack of medical attention inside jail, was only allowed three hours to be in her daughters’ wake but not on the funeral," Palabay compared.
Former president Gloria Arroyo who faces plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan has been under hospital arrest at the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center for four years now. She has a whole quarter for herself. Members of the Philippine National Police escort Arroyo from November 4 to 9 to the North Forbes Park where the remains of his grandson lay.
Rosal, on the other hand, is detained at the Female Dorm of Taguig City Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa facing a trumped up charge of murder. She was seven months pregnant when arrested in March 27. She shared a cell with 24 other inmates. She had to sleep on the floor because her bed is on the third deck. On March 18, 5:00pm, one day after giving birth, her child died of hypertension secondary to neonatal pneumonia and hypoxic encephalopathy.
Rosal was only able to hold her baby hours after the baby died. During Baby Diona’s wake, the Pasig Regional Trial Court gave Rosal only three hours to visit her baby’s wake, in the name of “compassionate justice”. For "security reasons" she was not allowed to bury her child at Ibaan, Batangas.
Now, another woman political prisoner is about to give birth. Miradel Torres, also detained at the Female Dorm of Taguig City Jail, is scheduled to deliver her first baby on the last week of November. Torres is facing a murder charge in Infanta Regional Trial Court. "We demand the authorities, specifically the Bureau of Jail and Management and Penology (BJMP) to provide Torres all the necessary medical attention she needs for the safe delivery of her baby," Palabay said.
Just like Rosal, Torres is also assigned at the third deck of a bunk bed. She shares a detention cell with three other inmates, one of them reportedly suffering from tuberculosis. During her arrest, she was under doctor’s order for complete bed rest due to threatened abortion. Yet, she was transported to Camp Bagong Diwa from Lucena City, a four-hour travel. "We call on the BS Aquino government to release Miradel Torres for humanitarian grounds and let her be with her child," Palabay called.
Criminals such as Ret. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. and his boss, Gloria Arroyo, should receive swift conviction rathe than special treatment. They should be the in regular jails," Palabay concluded.