Army won’t buck release of Morong 43

By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:45:00 10/29/2010

Filed Under: insurgency, Healthcare Providers
MANILA, Philippines—The Army said it will not oppose the release of the “Morong 43” if that is what President Benigno Aquino III wishes, despite the “strong evidence” that they are members of the outlawed communist New People’s Army (NPA).

“We are a very professional organization. Whatever the President’s desire on this, of course we will support that. We are a team player,” said Army spokesperson Col. Antonio Parlade.

After he issued an amnesty to all the officers and soldiers being tried for repeated attempts to bring down the previous Arroyo government, Mr. Aquino has been besieged with demands that he extend the same magnanimity to the group of 43 health workers who were arrested on suspicion of being NPA members in Morong, Rizal, last February.

However, not everyone in the Armed Forces would be “happy” if the Morong 43 are granted amnesty, Parlade said.

Giving them a reprieve would affect the morale of troops, he said.

“We are not saying that everybody will be happy. We would be hypocrites if we say they are happy but just the same, like I said we will support whatever the decision of the President,” he said.

Parlade said it would not be necessary for the Armed Forces to appeal to the President and dissuade him from granting the amnesty.

President knows

“He was properly apprised of the updates on this case. So the President knows, so we don’t have to make any appeal to the President,” he said.

Parlade said the military would rather let the court decide the case, adding that the Armed Forces owed it to the people to let them know that these were actually NPAs before they are granted amnesty.

He claimed that five of the 43 had already admitted to being NPAs. He expected the others to do the same in time, he said.

Authorities have claimed that the 43 were conducting a seminar on the making of explosives when they were arrested in the Morong resthouse. They said the raiding team recovered a variety of firearms and substances used in the making of bombs as well as subversive documents.

According to Parlade, most of the 43 belonged to the national health bureau of the NPA while the others played secondary roles such as that of medics and logisticians.

The group’s supporters claim, however, that they were indeed health workers who were attending a medical lecture. They have accused the military of subjecting the Morong 43 to torture and harassment.

“It doesn’t change the fact that they are NPA medics. Definitely, they are not health workers,” Parlade stressed.

He said the arrest was done legally, and that the soldiers were armed with the proper warrants.

Parlade denied that the detainees had been tortured or that some of the women were raped, insisting that their civil rights were respected.