Statement of Political prisoners on hunger strike at SICA-1 Camp Bagong Diwa

On the reservations of the BJMP to our request that the food budget supposedly for us, political prisoners at the BJMP-SICA 1 Jail, be donated to typhoon victims.

On the reservations of the BJMP to our request that the food budget supposedly for us, political prisoners at the BJMP-SICA 1 Jail, be donated to typhoon victims.

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In a reply to media inquiries regarding our request, that the bulk of the minimum amount that would be saved in our food budget in the hands of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) — as we have not been taking our food rations, and will continue not to take such, since the start of our fasting and hunger strike from the five days before up to the five days of the actual visit of Pope Francis I to our country — be donated instead to the victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda and Typhoon Senyang, the BJMP spokesman, Aris Villaester, said that the BJMP would most likely not accede to our request.

He stated that, right now, the food rations meant for us are still being delivered to our area, even if we are not actually taking them. He also stated that our request, that the supposed savings in the food budget meant for us and its conversion to a donation to the said disaster victims be coursed through the International Committee of the Red Cross, may even amount to a "malversation of funds."

We would like to clarify that there are 40 of us inmates here at the right wing of the fourth floor of the BJMP Special Intensive Care Area 1 jail building, where there are 22 of us, political prisoners, confined here and are presently undergoing fasting and hunger strike with a call for the return to us of our freedom, justice and human rights.

The food rations that presently — actually for quite a long time already — are being delivered to our wing is actually for only about 25, out of only 40 inmates here. This, as the other inmates here (consisting mostly of Chinese nationals, charged with being big-time illegal drug trade) have not been getting food rations at all, ever since they were confined here and up to now.

Right now, since our fasting and hunger strike have started, only two non-Chinese, non-political prisoners here (a detained PNP major and a detained BJMP jail sergeant) are getting food rations meant for our wing. The rest of the food rations — supposedly for us, 22 political prisoners in our wing — are only left at the gate of our wing.

We reiterate our request that the delivery of food rations be just for the two nonpolitical inmates here, and the rest meant for us 22 political prisoners be stopped, so that the said food rations and the budget for not be wasted and, instead, be made to benefit the aforementioned disaster victims.

It is actually through this manner that malversation in our food budget would be reduced, even if only partly, and at least the small part of it supposedly meant for us, 22 political prisoners here at the SICA 1 jail, presently on fasting and hunger strike, be put to more good use, instead of being malversed like that of the others.

This, not to mention yet that actually the food rations being given us are of very, very poor quality and not really worth even half the budgeted P50 per inmate per day. It is actually there where the actual and much, much bigger malversation that is taking place.

Political Detainees at BJMP-SICA 1 Jail, Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City

Tirso Alcantara
Emeterio Antalan
Cesar Balmaceda
Leopoldo Caloza
Alan Jazmines 
Jesus Abetria Jr. 
Modesto Araza
Alex Arias
Eddie Cruz
Philip Enteria
Voltaire Guray
Fidel Holanda
Edward Lanzanas
Rolando Laylo
Eliseo Lopez
Alberto Macasinag
Jared Morales
Denis Ortiz
Hermogenes Reyes Jr.
Felicardo Salamat
Aristides Sarmiento
Cirilo Verdan
 

(January 13, 2015)