Seventy-six of the 78 farmers detained for direct assault charges have been released on bail as of 2am on April 16, according to the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL). The two who remained detained, Ruben Carlos Mangga and Ponciano de la Pena Paunil, were ‘inadvertently’ left out of the release order. Lawyers and paralegal workers from NUPL, Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao and paralegal workers from Karapatan have worked day and night to secure that the farmers would stay not one hour longer in jail.
Legal and political obstacles to farmers’ release
At 10pm on April 14, ten farmers have been released on bail. They were Christopher Candiban, Noe Saladan, Jovita Debalid, Bryan Icnad, Norberto Andrecio, Rodolfo Go, Eric Santos, Marcelo Maglahos, Joel Ventura and Edgardo Barrientos. Valentina Berden, 78, was not among those released that day for lack of ID and other requirements held prior the release of the farmers. She is the oldest detainee charged for assaulting police when police opened fire at farmers to disperse their barricade on April 1.
A few farmers have been released on bail earlier, but almost all remained detained for 12 days or more due to lack of money to post the initial P12,000 bail amount or even the reduced bail of P6,000. While the bail amount of P546,000 for all detained farmers have already been raised by artists through the initiative of Aiza Seguerra and Liza Diño-Seguerra on April 13, processing of release of farmers were delayed for their lack of IDs, either lost in the violent dispersal, taken away from them during their arrest or they never have had an ID all their life.
Karapatan received information on April 14 that the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), under the command of Secretary Dinky Soliman, were set to take custody of the pregnant and elderly women once they are released. Upon interviews with the detained by the Karapatan-led National Fact Finding and Humanitarian Mission (NFFHM) on April 4-6, the police who used the name of the DSWD ushered the women into vehicles that would supposedly take them home or to take them away from the violent dispersal. They were instead taken to the Kidapawan Convention Center “to rest and eat spaghetti” only to be barred from leaving the facility and find out days later that they have been arrested.
Karapatan also received information on April 15 that two farmers who sustained gunshot wounds and confined in the Madonna General Hospital, Alfie Awe and Darwin Magiao, have been “taken out of the hospital and brought to the police station and afterwards fetched supposedly via vehicle of mayor of Arakan even if they wanted to go to Spottswood Methodist Compound”. The NFFHM tried to facilitate Awe and Magiao’s transfer to a hospital of their choice, but the patients were physically barred by North Cotabato police from leaving their hospital rooms. The police cited cases filed against them as the reason and offered options for hospital transfer such as Kidapawan Doctors’ Hospital, supposedly as per instructed by their director and Governor Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza.
The motion to quash the cases filed against the farmers had been denied in the April 13 hearing. The hearing for the motion for reconsideration is set on April 25 and counsels will oppose the arraignment of the farmers. A second Senate hearing on the Kidapawan shooting is set in Manila on April 20.
The released farmers are set to reunite with their families, rest and prepare for upcoming hearings on the case filed against them. They are also set to file counter-charges against the police, North Cotabato governor Mendoza and Kidapawan City mayor Joseph Evangelista.
Aiza and Liza thank fellow artists
After announcing on April 13 that fellow artists have raised the P546,000 bail amount needed to process the release of the farmers, Aiza took to Facebook again on April 15 to thank and name those who pitched in.
Fellow artists were Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Ayen Laurel, Carmina Villaroel, Sylvia Sanchez, Dingdong Dantes, Cheska Winebrenner, Sherilyn Tan, Sitti, Ara Mina, Valerie Concepcion, Princess Velasco, Jackie Rice, Arlene Muhlach, CJ Caparas, Juris Fernandez, Jaycee Parker, Katrina Halili, Giselle Sanchez, Carmi Martin, Beverly Salviejo, Richard and Maricar Poon and Bayang Barrios.
They also thanked friends Peach Lopez, Apple Talisaysay, RR Herrera, Carelle Mangaliag, Rebecca Bote, Ia Pineda, Zobee Abaño, Layla Legaspi, Melissa Alviar and Felix Manuel.
The child performer turned musician started her post with: “Maraming salamat po. Isang tawag lang, nanjan kaagad kayo upang magbigay ng suporta at tulong.”
