Political inmates want visitation rights back

Five of the 37 political prisoners who staged a hunger strike during Pope Francis’ recent visit to the country have gone to court to stop what they said was the ongoing violation of their human rights by the jail warden.

On the Fifth Anniversary of “Black Valentine’s Day”

February 14, this year, is the fifth anniversary of “Black Valentine’s Day”, that showed and continues to show how actually uninterested, heartless — actually spiteful — the ruling Benigno S. Aquino III regime has been in regard to justice and freedom in the case of political prisoners, in regard to peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), and in regard to the advocacies of these for fundamental socio-economic, cultural and political changes in the interest of the country, especially the suffering oppressed and exploited mass of our people.

Our 10 Days of Fasting/Hunger Strike Before and During the Visit of Pope Francis I to Our Country

Starting five days before the January 15 arrival of Pope Francis I in our country, we, political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa, went on fasting/hunger strike. And during the five days of his actual visit to our country bringing along “mercy and compassion”, we proceeded to go on hunger strike.

Political Prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa on Fasting and Hunger Strike after death of NDFP Peace Consultant and Political Prisoner Ka Eddik Serrano

We, political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa, join other political prisoners across the country in going on fasting and hunger strike starting with the southward funeral march today, January 12, until the burial in January 17 of the body of deceased NDFP Peace Consultant and staunch fighter for the rights of indigenous peoples, peasants and other exploited and oppressed people, foully arrested, charged as another person, suffered a snail-paced course of justice and held as political prisoner for more than 11 years — Ka Eddik Serrano.

Re 6 Dec. 2015 visit of RNG ambassadors supporting the NDFP-GRP/GPH peace talks

We expressed appreciation that, as a 3rd party facilitator, the RNG has been supporting the NDFP-GRP/GPH peace talks that has been on and off for some 15 years now, and running. Our appreciation has been more so, as we recognized from our discussions with them, that the RNG continues with enthusiasm its commitment to support the NDFP-GRP/GPH peace talks — even in the face of several snags in the peace talks, even as we realistically assessed that there is very little chance now that the present ruling regime would still pursue the NDFP-GRP/GPH peace talks, and even as the present ruling regime is still trying to obtain congressional approval for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.