Written by Noel Sales Barcelona   

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (November 5, 2010) -- Colleagues of 43 health workers arrested for rebellion in Morong, Rizal are still hoping to discuss with President Benigno C. Aquino III their concern over the continued detention of the so-called Morong 43, two of whom are lactating mothers, and another one, a sexagenarian suffering from hypertension.

In a short message, Dr. Julie Caguiat, spokesperson of the Free the 43 Health Workers Alliance told this reporter that after a long wait, only a personnel from the Records Section of the Palace appeared—courtesy of the Presidential Security Guard whom managed to call the person to attend the people outside Gate 2 of the Malacañang Palace, waiting for the result of their request of having a private audience with the 50-year old bachelor President.

Allyn Montes, 24, the daughter of the 60-plus-years old doctor, Alexis Montes, told this writer that her family, as well as the families of the 42 health workers in detention, are now being impatient about their loved ones’ case.

She said, that they fear that the arraignment for the rebellion and illegal possession of firearms, ammunitions and explosives, now pending in a municipal court in Rizal, be postponed, thus prolonging their relatives’ agony inside the jail in Bicutan, Taguig—a small city within the Philippines’ capital region.

“I hope that their case will move now...” Montes said in her email.

Meanwhile, the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), earlier had scolded the Philippine military of allegedly doing “double talks” agains the 43 health workers in detention.

In an email, Dr. Caguiat said it seems that the military has started to believe its own lies when the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Justice already pointed out the illegalities of the case.

“It is simply not true that search and subsequent arrest of the 43 health workers was covered by a “proper warrant” as Army spokesperson Col. Antonio Parlade is saying... For all we know, the search warrant that they’ve used in arresting the 43, was patently defective. Even the President acknowledges this saying that any evidence is considered fruit of the poisonous tree,” the lady doctor furthered.

It was early morning of February 6, when a composite team—300 men from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army—raided a private farm owned by epidemiologist from, and consultant of, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Melecia Velmonte, in Morong, a town the Province of Rizal. The 43 were in session for their community health training when the military and the police broke in.

Armed with a search warrant for certain Mario Condes of Brgy. Maybancal, Morong, Rizal the police and the military allegedly have ceased high powered guns, ammunitions, and some explosives.

The 43, were at first detained and allegedly tortured inside a military camp in Tanay, a town also in the province of Rizal, before the 38 were transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. The five who remained in the military custody were the ones who ‘confessed’ that they were members of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Maoist, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The CPP has been waging a people’s war against the government, for more than 40 years now. The CPP also had an impending peace talks with the government, represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).