KARAPATAN is urging the Duterte administration and military authorities to free Marcos Aggalao, 74, on eight trumped-up charges since he has just suffered from a stroke that paralyzed half his body and continues to suffer pneumonia and dementia.
Aggalao was arrested on September 10, 2016, by the police and military in Gawaan, Balbalan, Kalinga, as he was hobbled by hypertension.
He was brought first to the Kalinga Police Provincial office before being committed to the Bureau of Jail and Management Penology (BJMP) in Tabuk, Kalinga.
Aggalao suffered from a stroke last month and his jailers were forced to take him to a hospital. He was brought back to BJMP Tabuk.
Relatives and neighbors raised funds for Aggalao’s immediate release, saying it was best for him to be under the care of his own family.
Aggalao posted a bail of P100,000 but was incarcerated again as more fabricated charges were hurled against him in Baguio City, for which he raised another P300,000 for bail before he could enjoy temporary liberty.
“There is no reason for Aggalao to remain in jail. The callousness of this government is infuriating, opting to release and hand out favors to the guilty and the rich, while condemning political prisoners to rot in detention. On July 26, the jail warden even took the initiative to write to Baguio City Judge Emmanuel Rasing to attest to their lack of capacity to care for Aggalao. His condition is deteriorating and he should be released based on just and humanitarian considerations,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said.
Currently, the lawyers of Aggalao are seeking remedies for him to be released on a lower bail or on recognizance.
Palabay added “the Philippine government signed the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and is under obligation to release political prisoners, especially those under humanitarian considerations. We will never tire to repeat this is an issue of justice. Let Aggalao’s family care for him.”