“Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and the GRP peace panel in negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines should be repeatedly reminded that the release of political prisoners is a commitment and obligation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, in accordance to its statements and bilateral agreements with the NDFP. It is now 2017. Political prisoners have gone into hunger strike and fasting, their families have been crying out for justice, and one of them, peasant organizer Bernabe Ocasla, died, yet, 392 political prisoners remain in jail,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said, a week before the start of the third round of formal peacetalks between the GRP and NDFP on January 19, 2017.
“After the first round of formal peacetalks in August 2016, only two long detained political prisoners were released in line with the GRP-NDFP talks. This is a far from the stated commitments of Duterte and his GRP panel,” Palabay said.
DATA |
|
|
|
as
of December 31, 2016 |
|
|
||
Region |
PPs Total |
Arrested Under
BSA |
Arrested Under
RRD |
Female |
Sickly |
Elderly |
Minor |
NDFP
Consultant |
ARMM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Bikol |
36 |
33 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Cagayan
Valley |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Caraga |
29 |
29 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Central
Luzon |
6 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Central
Visayas |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Cordillera |
8 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Eastern
Visayas |
32 |
25 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Socsksargen |
17 |
15 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
National
Capital Region |
96 |
43 |
0 |
12 |
52 |
16 |
0 |
3 |
Northern
Mindanao Region |
22 |
16 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Southern
Mindanao Region |
102 |
78 |
8 |
7 |
18 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
Southern
Tagalog |
21 |
14 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Western
Visayas |
6 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Western
Mindanao Region |
6 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Ilocos |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TOTAL |
392 |
284 |
15 |
34 |
122 |
30 |
3 |
4 |