President Duterte has promised to work on releasing 25 more political prisoners, according to Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leader Benito Tiamzon.
Tiamzon, along with fellow CPP leader and wife Wilma, was a guest at a peace forum organized by the Exodus for Justice and Peace yesterday afternoon at the University of Immaculate Conception, here.
The Tiamzons, along with NDFP consultant Fidel Agcaoili, were seen speaking with Duterte in Davao City, Friday night, in a closed-door meeting.
According to Mr. Tiamzon, who was also a former political prisoner, the President guaranteed to add more names soon to the list of people to be released.
Tiamzon said that the 25 political prisoners would be released for humanitarian reasons, citing some of them are advanced in age and that others are sick.
“Hinahabol pa namin na sana pati ’yung mga kababaihan (We are hoping the women would be included),” Tiamzon said. “Nangako siya na aasikasuhin nila (He promised they would act on it).”
Last Friday, Government of the Philippines (PH) Peace Panel Chairman and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, III revealed that the Chief Executive had already approved the release of four political prisoners serving time for murder and kidnapping convictions.
A statement to the press from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said the government has freed Martin Villanueva, Bonifacio Suyon, Dindo Absalon and Rico Bodina from jail. Bello said they have been pardoned by the President.
He added that the next batch of detainees to be released comprised of 21 sickly detainees, three other elderly suspected rebels and one woman detainee.
The Tiamzons had been released on bail last August, a month after the assumption of Duterte as Philippine head of state.
According to Tiamzon, the leaders of the CPP and Duterte are in agreement about the previous violation of the Hernandez doctrine, in which political leaders are charged with common crimes such as murder and theft instead of a single rebellion case.
The doctrine dictates that rebellion should be charged as one case and not as single cases comprising different common crimes.
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