THE Sandiganbayan has deferred the arraignment of military and police officers over the February 2010 arrest of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal, that was supposed to be held on Thursday to late May, human-rights lawyers said.
In a statement, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said several of its members had gone to the anti-graft court to formally enter their presence, as private prosecutors in the case for violation of Republic Act 7438, or “An Act Defining Certain Rights of Person Arrested, Detained or Under Custodial Investigation as Well as the Duties of the Arresting, Detaining and Investigating Officers, and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof,” against the officers, among them retired Army generals Jorge Segovia and Aurelio Baladad.
However, the lawyers learned that “most of the accused” had filed motions to quash the charges, which the court heard on March 24.
“Upon verification with the court, it turned out that it had already issued an order on the same date requiring the prosecution to comment within 30 days and, at the same time, canceling today’s [Thursday’s] scheduled arraignment and resetting it to May 28,” the NUPL said.
It added that the complainants had not been notified of the cancellation of the arraignment.
The health workers, dubbed the “Morong 43,” claim they were illegally arrested, detained and tortured when the military and the police raided a farmhouse where they had allegedly been conducting medical training.
At the time, the military and police described the health workers as communist rebels who were supposedly being trained in explosives. However, the courts eventually dropped the charges against the Morong 43 and ordered them released.
The NUPL said the arraignment would have been “significant because it sends the clear message that no matter how long time has passed and no matter how dangerous and difficult it may be, state security forces from the high to the lowly may be put on the dock to answer for violations of human rights if the victims and their supporters remain steadfast and determined.”
Despite the postponement, the group said, “We stand by our statement that the simple message is loud and clear: It is not entirely true that you can get away with rights violations with impunity just like that. And that those in whose name you perpetuated them will either abandon or forget you in time.”