Women political prisoners said that if they will be released from prison, they will still continue to fight for the people’s basic rights even if it has led to their unjust detention.
“These women and all who came before them have had to claw their way out of the quagmire of limitations imposed on women—especially poor women—in a feudal-patriarchal society, and asserted their rightful place in the struggle for rights and justice. Only for the state to shove them back into a box, literally and figuratively."
Under President Rodrigo Duterte, the wee hours of the morning have been filled not with calmness but with anxiety as government critics fear they may be the next targets of illegal arrests and even graver rights abuses.
This Women's Month, rights group Karapatan called on the Commission on Human Rights to look into the case of pregnant Elizabeth Estilon, and Enriqueta Guelas, 62, who were arrested on Dec. 24, 2020 following a raid in barangay Lalod, Bulusan, Sorsogon and charged with violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
"Nimfa thinks nothing of her own sicknesses like hypertension, anemia and rhinitis just so she can be of help whenever she is needed even if it means walking for kilometers to visit political prisoners. When did it become a crime to help people in need?”
“The government should act immediately as the health of Echanis and her baby is at high risk, especially in overly congested, poorly equipped prison conditions where social distancing is impossible and mass testing for COVID-19 is ignored.”
As Mary is portrayed as a woman that committed to the fulfillment of the Savior’s birth, Reina Mae and Amanda are among the many young women that carry-on Jesus’ mission. They have embodied love and service to God’s people- the poor and the marginalized. They are channels of God’s grace and salvation to those who are oppressed and disenfranchised.
“If the government could release Enrile, why not the political prisoners? They are not criminals.”
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Already there are 356 political detainees in the country, with 78 of them having been arrested on the orders of the Aquino administration’s armed and judicial forces. Almost half or 35 of them are women. Also 153 women have already fallen victim to extrajudicial killings since 2001, with six of them killed under the watch of the Benigno Aquino III administration.
Members of Gabriela trooped to the residence of president elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to demand freedom of women and all political prisoners. According to Gabriela, 61 of the 344 political prisoners under the Arroyo regime are women.
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