KARAPATAN deplored the double standard of treatment it observed as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) swiftly took action in rushing moneyed and powerful persons such as detained racketeer and human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy to the Rizal Medical Center for pneumonia, and later, to a private hospital of his choice, while it dragged its feet when it came to other persons deprived of liberty (PDL) from the poor communities and those facing political persecution.
The BJMP dilly-dallied in bringing political prisoner Ernesto Jude Rimando to hospital, preferring to wait until Rimando was on the brink of death. Rimando, who was eventually brought to the Philippine General Hospital after the issuance of a long-delayed court order, succumbed to liver cancer after three months.
In a more recent case, Rosita Taboy, who, at 80, is now the eldest political prisoner, had to endure a long wait for a court order before she could have a breast lump examined. Even after the issuance of the court order, however, it took some time before officials at the Bulacan Provincial Jail actually brought Taboy for her much-needed check-up. Taboy is also diabetic, has exhibited early signs of dementia, has difficulty walking unaided, and is obviously not a flight risk.
Her husband, Antonio Legaspi, was kept in solitary confinement at the San Jose del Monte Male Dorm despite his age and physical condition. Deprived of sunning, physical exercise and socialization, he was found dead in his cell on April 19, 2024, the victim of a heart attack. He was 74.
“The Marcos Jr. regime bends over backwards in accommodating the likes of Quiboloy but could not care less what happens to ailing and elderly political prisoners, who do not deserve to spend a single minute in jail,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.
The Marcos Jr. regime and its jail and prison officials must uphold the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, otherwise known as the Mandela Rules, which call for prompt medical attention in urgent cases, averred Palabay.