PUSO Demands the Immediate Release of Health Workers in the Philippines

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PUSO Seattle

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Feb 9, 2010, 3:46:17 PM2/9/10

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The Philippine-U.S. Solidarity Organization (PUSO) of Seattle, Washington USA strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and illegal detention of the 43 health workers. PUSO calls for their immediate release from the custody of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army headed by Colonel Aurelio Baladad, and Rizal Philippine National Police (PNP), headed by Police Superintendent Marion Balonglong.

On February 1, around 40 medical practitioners and health workers participated in a First Responders Training, sponsored by the Community Medicine Foundation, Inc. (COMMED) and Council for Health and Development (CHD) at Dr. Melecia Velmonte’s Farm, a conference and training facility in Morong, Rizal.

According to initial reports gathered by Karapatan, (a human rights group) at 6:15 am on February 6, 2010, around 300 heavily armed elements of the military and police forced their way into the farm of Dr. Melecia Velmonte in Bgy. Maybangcal, Morong, Rizal. At gunpoint, the military forced the caretaker to open the gates. Inside, the soldiers fanned out to different directions. They also kicked the main door to get into the building.

Their arrests are a gross violation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) that specifically states that medical and health workers are non-combatants that must not be targeted by any military action.

Other violations committed by the military are: Violation of Domicile; Destruction of property; Divestment of Property; Illegal Search and Seizure; Illegal Arrest; Illegal Detention; Threat, Harassment and Intimidation, Fear for Safety and Torture. (http://karapatan.org/node/334)

As PUSO member, Rene Rivera, recounts, “In the 80’s, I participated in free health care outreach programs like Klinikang-Bayan in the Philippines. Even back then, health workers like myself were frequently harassed and intimidated by the police and military.”

The lack of or absence of the very basic health care for the poor was already acute in the 80's but now after years of government neglect and several catastrophic natural calamities and economic displacement, the people's needs have reached critical levels. These healthcare workers were merely responding to a need.

This mass abduction is the newest in a long list of human rights abuses (extrajudicial killings, tortures, gang rapes, massacres, illegal raids and arrests with impunity, abductions, kidnappings, forced disappearances) perpetuated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the implicit consent of the Arroyo regime in it's campaign to discredit legal organization critical of its anti-people policies.

WE DEMAND AN END TO THE ABUSES BY THE AFP, PNP AND THE ARROYO REGIME!

WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE 43 HEALTH WORKERS!

UPHOLD THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW!

STOP ATTACKS AGAINST MEDICAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS!

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Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:

1. The immediate release of the health workers who are illegally arrested and illegally detained at Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal.

2. The government to ensure the safety of the victims and that they are not harmed; their belongings be returned immediately to them.

3. The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into raid and illegal arrest of the health workers conducting health skills training in Morong, Rizal.

4. The military to stop the labeling and targeting of human rights defenders as “members of front organizations of the communists” and “enemies of the state.”

5. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions.

Signed, (Please feel free to sign on)

Rene Rivera, RN BSN, Redmond, WA

Ace Saturay, Ma, Seattle, WA

Robert E. Hayden, Ph.D., Seattle, WA

Send your communications to:

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President of the Republic

Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80

Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968

Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462

E-mail: cor...@op.gov.ph / op...@ops.gov.ph

Gen. Avelino Razon, Ret. PNP