Bail was the word of the day.
Before 10am, April 13, news broke out that the bail petition of Janet Lim-Napoles was granted by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division for a plunder case over the pork barrel scam. She will not be released, however, because she is serving a life sentence for the serious illegal detention of whistleblower Benhur Luy. Also, her bail had been denied in other divisions hearing other lawmakers’ plunder cases where she was also charged.
Napoles co-accused dismissed Masbate governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete was also granted bail. She would campaign for a third term as governor though the Sandiganbayan had perpetually barred her from public office. But her name was included in the ballot and her lawyers are still appealing her dismissal. Lanete paid P500,000 bail from plunder and P330,000 bail for 11 counts of graft to allow her temporary freedom.
Meanwhile, 81 farmers in Kidapawan remain in detention for being unable to post bail. They simply did not have the money.
They did not even have rice to eat.
All were charged with direct assault and their bail priced at around P12,000 each. Seven were charged with frustrated homicide. They were arrested after the April 1 North Cotabato police’s violent dispersal of the farmer’s four-day barricade asking for food and rice subsidy.
The North Cotabato local government unit headed by Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza declared a state of calamity as early as January this year to hasten the release of calamity funds, but the farmers have yet to experience a bit of relief. They had been brought to the point of hunger.
According to the detained farmers, they were deceived by police and government officials to board vehicles that would bring them home. Instead, men were brought to the Kidapawan Gym while the women were brought to the Kidapawan Convention Center. They did not know they have been arrested. Their rights were not read to them. They were illegally detained for more than 24 hours before a case was filed against them on April 3.
The detained farmers were among those initially reported as missing. Without having been accounted by their fellow farmers in the protest, they have underwent inquest proceedings by April 5, as told by North Cotabato Deputy Police Director Noel Kinazo to the National Fact Finding and Humanitarian Mission when he came there to dialogue about the pullout of the police blockade of the Spottswood Methodist Center.
A list from Karapatan named pregnant and elderly among the detained.
Pregnant women (detained at the Kidapawan Convention Center):
1. Arlene Candiban, 25, 6 months pregnant
2. Eliza Candiban, 22, 5 months pregnant
3. Rolinda Paonil, 34, 2 months pregnant
Elderly (men detained at the Kidapawan Gym, women detained at the Kidapawan Convention Center):
1. Dionisio Alagos, 60
2. Gerardo Pequero, 66
3. Crisanto Carlum, 72
4. Jovita Debalid, 68
5. Lolita Porras, 65
6. Valentina Berden, 78
The Kidapawan Court set the bail at PhP12,000. The Senate hearing on April 7 recommended a reduced bail amount of P2,000. Counsels of the farmers filed a motion to reduce bail at P2,000 each. The bail hearing was held today.
Meanwhile, human rights advocates, progressive groups and supporters of the victims of the Kidapawan shooting trooped to the Department of Justice in Manila this morning to demand the release of the farmers.
“We hope that efforts to have them released won’t be delayed by underhanded moves to keep the farmers in jail. In the first place, their arrest and detention is illegal. They did not commit the crimes ascribed to them and their cause is just,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan Secretary General.
After the bail hearing, bail amount was reduced to P 6,000 only. The farmers still needed P 546,000 in total to post bail. They have been detained for 12 days counting.
The detained women farmers were transferred to Cotabato City Jail at around noon.
The National Union of People’s Lawyers, Public Interest Law Center, Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao, paralegal workers of SAGIPP North Cotabato and Karapatan have teamed up to provide legal assistance and assist the relatives to meet the bail requirements.
Aiza Seguerra and wife Liza were in Kidapawan City to visit the detained farmers. They also attended the hearing for the motion to reduce bail.
Before the day ended, at around 1030pm, Aiza posted on her Facebook account that the P546,000 had been raised by “artists from the entertainment industry and friends who readily gave their support as well as other groups who donated as well to fulfill the amount.” Aiza and Liza led the initiative to raise the bail amount needed to free all farmers.
Aiza said release of farmers and their legal battles could still be a long journey.
