Troops
from the 8th Infantry Battalion are deployed within a civilian facility
-- the Calbayog sub-provincial jail where political prisoner Ericson
Acosta is detained for more than a year now.
Father asks President Aquino: “Who will be held responsible if
something bad happens to my son while he is unjustly detained?”
The
family of political prisoner Ericson Acosta decried threats against their son
and their family after receiving text messages which said he or his parents might
get killed on November 2, All Souls Day.
Isaias
Acosta, 79, father of Ericson, said his driver received a series of messages in
the morning of October 24 and 25. The first message read: “ericson acosta is in
danger he might get killed on all souls day please spread the news.”
This was
followed by a Filipino translation of the first message: “please
spread the news ericson acosta plano patayin
sa araw ng patay. kung ndi man siya ay ang kanyang magulang n nktra sa anapolis
cubao... Anonymous UST...”
Ericson
Acosta, 40, is a poet and journalist who was arrested without warrant on
February 13, 2011 in San Jorge, Samar. Military elements accosted him for mere
possession of a laptop. After three days
of interrogation and torture inside a military camp, Acosta was charged with
illegal possession of explosive and was tagged by the military as a
high-ranking NPA rebel.
“Wala kaming kaaway. Matatanda na kami.
Marami na kaming sakit. Mag- ootsenta anyos na ang asawa ko ngayong Linggo. Magbi-birthday siya na nakakulong pa rin ang aming bunso.
Ito pa ba ang ireregalo nila sa kanya? (We have no known enemies. We are
too old. We have many illnesses. My wife is turning 80 this Sunday. She will
mark her birthday with our youngest son still behind bars. Is this their idea
of a birthday present?”
According
to Acosta, they can only suspect these threats to come from state agents. “Ericson
is the lone political prisoner (at the sub-provincial jail in Calbayog City),
yet the military has deployed troops around the jail to harass him and his
visitors. The jail is supposed to be a civilian facility, yet Ericson has been
virtually under military detention.”
The
elder Acosta is equally disheartened about President Aquino’s rash statements
on the country’s human rights situation. In recent interviews, human rights
violations were dismissed by the President as “only Leftist propaganda.”
Lamenting
the President’s recent pronouncements, Isaias said, “My son is a victim of
torture and prolonged illegal detention. Our petition for review before the DOJ
(Department of Justice) has been pending for more than a year now, when it
should only take 60 days for them to issue a resolution.”
“Last
July, we filed a motion for Ericson to be accorded immediate medical attention
for his renal problems. After three months, the court has not acted upon the
motion. Private doctors have silently turned down our requests to check on Ericson
-- we understand their fears because Ericson is surrounded by soldiers. In his
latest letter, Ericson said he had another high fever last week. Instead of
justice, we now receive more insults and threats.”
“Bakit naghahamon ng tulong ang Presidente
para maresolba ang mga kaso ng pang-aabuso, gayong nasa kanya na nga ang lahat
ng kapangyarihan? (Why
must the President challenge people to help him solve these cases of abuses,
when he has all the power to do this?)” he asked.
“Gusto ko pong tanungin ang
Pangulo: sino po ang magiging responsable kapag may masamang nangyari sa anak
ko habang siya’y nakakulong at hindi gumugulong ang hustisya? ( I would like to ask
the President: who will be held responsible if something bad happens to my son
while he is unjustly detained?)”said Mr. Acosta.
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