Following the celebration of a mass at the Bago City District Jail in Negros Occidental on December 30, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza called for the immediate release and parole of political prisoners, especially the elderly and the sick. He said this step would be part of the efforts to address the systematic injustice in the Philippines.

“I deplore the situation of our political prisoners whose hearings are repeatedly postponed or reset, with some languishing in jail for over a year without a single hearing,” said the bishop, who is also one of the leaders of the One Negros Ecumenical Council (ONEC).

There are at least 113 political prisoners on the island, or 15% of the total 757 political prisoners in the country. Negros Occidental jails detain 59, while 54 are in Negros Oriental. Most of them are farmers.

“We cannot ignore the plight of those unjustly incarcerated for their advocacy for farmers, workers, and marginalized communities,” said the bishop. He added that fighting for basic rights is not a crime, and the government should strengthen social services and address the roots of poverty and inequality instead of vilifying them.

In November, the Kabankalan City court’s acquittal of the Himamaylan 7 in two murder cases and seven frustrated murder cases is considered a victory in the political prisoners’ struggle. Pastor Jimie Teves, Jodito Montesino, Jaypee Romano, Jasper Aguyong, Rogen Sabanal, Eliseo Andres, and Rodrigo Medez were thereafter released. The seven were arrested in Himamaylan City in June 2019 when implicated in an armed encounter between the NPA and AFP soldiers in Kabankalan City in May 2018.

Despite this, Bishop Alminaza said, “much is still to be done.” He emphasized the need to grant parole to elderly and sick political prisoners on humanitarian grounds. Under the Marcos regime, at least eight detained political prisoners died of old age and illness, while 12 died during Duterte’s term. “This is not only a matter of justice but also of compassion,” the bishop said.

The bishop also expressed support for the earlier call of newly installed Philippine Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, for the government to pass a law that would justly indemnify long-term prisoners the courts eventually acquitted.

Meanwhile, the bishop also condemned state forces for red-tagging, which is often used as a basis to file trumped-up charges, illegally detain, and in extreme cases, kill activists and progressives.