By LYN V. RAMO
Bulatlat.com

QUEZON CITY — The female members of the so-called Morong 43, the first batch of the detainees to be freed, held a press conference shortly before midnight on Dec. 17 just as soon as they stepped out of prison. Despite the evident frailty in some of them that might have resulted from more than 10 months in jail and their recently concluded hunger strike, the freed political detainees could not hide their joy after being reunited with family, friends and colleagues.

“I want to eat deliciously prepared meals, go shopping, have a real sound sleep and many more,” one of the women health workers told the media gathered at the Cathedral Hall of the Episcopal Church at the Trinity University of Asia.

Most of them said they would still choose to go back to the communities to serve those who are in dire need of medical and health services.

Adoracion Paulino, mother of Valentino Paulino, said she wished her son is freed as well. Valentino is among the five who were allegedly forced and coerced by the military to testify against the others. He has not been released and is under military custody. (Read: Military Pressuring 3 of Morong 43 to Testify Vs Others)

The women members of the Morong 43 during the press conference last night (Photos by Ayi Muallam / bulatlat.com)

The court order was for all the 43 detained since Feb. 6, but at the time the press conference started, the male detainees were yet to be cleared at the Camp Bagong Diwa, in Bicutan, Taguig City. After midnight, it was announced that only 10 male detainees were released, the other five were being held because of other possible charges that had been filed against them or their namesakes.

Another set of detainees, who allegedly turned state witnesses, are under the custody of the Philippine Army in Tanay, Rizal.

Before their transfer to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility, the detainees said they went through various forms of torture in the hands of their military captors in Camp Capinpin.

The atmosphere inside the Cathedral Hall was electric. Dozens of relatives, friends and supporters had gathered at the venue early in the evening, patiently waiting for the victims.

They practiced progressive songs and rehearsed how they would welcome the Morong 43. They greet each vehicle that approached the venue with chants of “Ayan na! Ayan na! Ayan na ang 43!”

When the first batch of freed health workers – all of the 23 women – disembarked from the vans, journalists and practically everybody else swarmed around them. They were greeted with hugs, handshakes and cheers as they made their way through the jubilant crowd.

During the press conference, the women thanked their supporters and the mass movement for their freedom. The questions from the journalists present ranged from what one supported described as inane (“Are you still mad at the military?”) to the curious (“What was it like being imprisoned for 10 months?”)

After the press conference, over pancit (rice noodles) and a meal pack bought from a fastfood chain, the women detainees related their personal stories behind bars. Their kin and friends gathered around each of them, in the fashion of the old Filipino practice of huntahan (story-telling).

It would take more than two days to tell the experiences, the eldest among them said. Nevertheless, the simultaneous story-telling sessions went on until the wee hours today, December 18, exactly one week before Christmas and eight days after President Aquino ordered the dropping of charges against them.

Prior to Aquino’s announcement, the Morong 43 initiated a hunger strike, which inspired other political detainees to go on a sympathy fasting. Their respective families and supporters also joined the fast.

Asked about their personal plans, most of them said they would continue delivering health services to the needy after spending the holidays with loved ones. They could not wait to return to their respective communities in the provinces, many of them said.

Jane Balleta, a granddaughter of the late Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran, said it is the protest movement that set them free. “If not for the noise that the mass movement created, Aquino would not have acted in our favor,” said Balleta, who suffered from several forms of torture including sexual molestation even as she was dealing with her epilepsy. (Read: Morong 43 Still Being Tortured, Say Kin)

Dr. Merry Mia-Clamor, another detainee who missed her son’s annual school play on Thursday (Read: Sad ‘Croc’: Son Longed to Reunite with ‘Morong 43? Mom), said the Morong 43’s case is just one among many cases of human-rights violations in the Philippines. The government’s failure to provide adequate health services is another form of violation, she said.

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