​​POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PDLs IN NEGROS AND OTHER PHILIPPINE JAILS LAUNCH FAST PROTEST ON POLITICAL PRISONERS' DAY

[KARAPATAN Public Information]

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2025

POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PDLs IN NEGROS AND OTHER PHILIPPINE JAILS LAUNCH FAST PROTEST ON POLITICAL PRISONERS' DAY

Negros Island, Philippines — Political Prisoners (PPs) and Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) in Negros and various Philippine jails are launching a fast protest on December 3, 2025, in condemnation of escalating human rights violations, systematic cruelty, and continued neglect of long-standing grievances inside detention facilities.

Marking Political Prisoners' Day, the coordinated fast highlights the harsh and degrading conditions endured by PPs and PDLs under a highly militarized and unaccountable jail system. Detainees report routine harassment, intimidation, arbitrary punishment, and actions that violate both domestic laws and international human rights standards.

Escalating Violations in Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ)
PDLs at the Negros Occidental District Jail cite intensified abuses following the reinstatement of Warden JSUPT (Atty.) Crisyrel P. Awe, DSC under the BJMP – Negros Island Region led by JCSUPT Brendan O. Fulgencio. Despite earlier protests in August, complaints were dismissed and harsher retaliatory actions followed, including:

1. Excessive restrictions and padlocked exits that endanger PDLs during emergencies.
2. Collective punishment without due process, penalizing entire cells for the alleged offense of one person.
3. Denial of the Good Conduct Time Allowance for protest participants, delaying release for qualified PDLs.
4. Irregular sun exposure schedules that expose PDLs to extreme heat or deprive them of sunlight, worsening physical and mental health.
5. Lack of medical supplies, reduced food rations, and inadequate ventilation in congested cells.
6. Selective participation in programs, denying equal access to rehabilitation opportunities.
7. Humiliating visiting procedures, including invasive strip and body cavity searches.
8. Lack of transparency in commissary operations, leaving PDLs unaware of profits and allocations.

These acts violate the UN 2015 Nelson Mandela Rules, the BJMP Comprehensive Operations Manual 2015 Edition, RA 7438, and the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 (RA 9745).

The death of PDL Warlito Turbela on November 7, 2025, is cited by detainees as a tragic consequence of deteriorating jail conditions. Meanwhile, the case of Political Prisoner Lorenzo "Tisoy" Perolino, placed in unlawful solitary confinement, resulted in a court-ordered Writ of Habeas Corpus affirming that prolonged isolation constitutes a human rights violation.

Statement from Political Prisoners
"Our fast protest continues the struggle we began in August. The cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment persists, and so does our fight for dignity, justice, and humanity. We will not be silenced. We resist. We demand accountability."

Key Demands of Political Prisoners
1. Raise public awareness of the conditions inside Philippine jails and the treatment of PDLs.
2. Expose and end rights violations in all BJMP facilities.
3. Immediate release of all political prisoners, especially the elderly, sick, and NDF consultants protected under JASIG.
4. Resume GRP–NDFP peace talks, particularly discussions on the Comprehensive Agreement on Social Economic Reforms (CASER) and political and constitutional reforms.
5. Review and amend laws used to criminalize political dissent.
6. Reform the jail system, remove abusive officials, and prioritize rehabilitation over punishment.
7. Increase the government budget for PDLs from ₱70 to ₱100 per person for food and from ₱15 to ₱25 for medicine.

Political Prisoners urge human rights groups, churches, legal organizations, and the public to support their campaign leading up to International Human Rights Day on December 10.

FOR REFERENCE:
KAPATID - Negros

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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.