The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today joined a picket in front of Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame to press for the release of political prisoners in light of the ongoing peace talks. The group pressed for the release of detained NDFP consultant Allan Jazmines who was arrested on the eve of the resumption of the peace talks last February 14. They also called for the surfacing of abducted NDFP consultant Leo Velasco.
The groups also called for the release of political prisoner Ericson Acosta who was also arrested last February 13. “The recent arrest of known NDFP consultants by state security forces is intended to sabotage the peace process. The AFP wants to force the NDFP to either pull-out of the negotiations or to capitulate completely to the GPH. The repeated and blatant violations of prior agreements continue to undermine the peace efforts,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“Perhaps the AFP wants the peace talks to fail so that total war will be the official policy. With a total war policy, soldiers have a distraction from controversial issues such as the gross corruption of top generals in the AFP,” Reyes said.
Bayan said that that most immediate action the president can take is to release all NDFP consultants covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) so that they can participate in the peace talks.
“The release of NDFP consultants based on the JASIG should be immediate and unconditional. It only requires compliance by the Aquino government,” Reyes said.
Bayan called on president Benigno Aquino III to emulate the example of his mother, former president Cor azon Aquino, who released all political prisoners when she came to power in 1986.
“As the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of EDSA 1 draws near, we cannot help but compare the record of the son with the mother when it comes to releasing political prisoners. Surely Noynoy can do more for the release of political prisoners,” Reyes said.
“He can repeat what he did for the Magdalo and the Morong 43. He can either issue another amnesty proclamation or have the cases of the detainees reviewed and withdrawn. Both are well within his powers as chief executive. He can make the announcement to coincide with the commemoration of EDSA 1,” Reyes said. ###
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from: bayan.ph
