Metro Manila residents should brace themselves for Monday.
“On Friday, July 25, militant groups from Karapatan and Selda staged a protest rally at the Philippine National Police Headquarters (PNP) in Camp Crame, Quezon City, to demand the release of all political prisoners in the country,” reports Nestor Corrales on Inquirer.net.
Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan also announced, “Political prisoners will start their fast today that will last until Aquino’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 28, to show their disgust to the government.”
In a joint statement, political prisoners said, ” In our four-day fast, we want our voices be heard in condemning President Aquino for his sins against the people, especially his brutal counter-insurgency campaign, Oplan Bayanihan, his economic program the Public-Private Partnership and the DAP, his way of siphoning off the nation’s coffers.”
Palabay noted that Camp Crame has 12 political prisoners, including National Democratic Front leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon. She added that 400 political prisoners were detained across the country.
Palabay likewise “condemned the special treatment accorded to rich and influential prisoners while political prisoners continue to languish in jails for years.”
The groups will also stage protests on Monday.
Screengrab from a news clip
