A group of women human rights defenders has appealed to President Benigno Aquino III to “heed the call for justice” and release a jailed nursing mother in the case of 43 health workers who were arrested in Morong, Rizal.
"The mother and child's detention speaks of the continued injustice against Oliveros and the rest of the Morong 43,” said Cristina Palabay, convenor of Tanggol Bai.
She was referring to Carina "Judilyn" Oliveros, who, along with her three-week-old son, was being detained at Camp Bagong Diwa.
“Oliveros and baby should be released immediately for clear humanitarian reasons. We call on President Aquino to heed this call for justice in his first 100 days in office," Palabay said in a statement.
Oliveros was arrested along with 42 other health workers in Morong, Rizal on February 6. They are being jailed on accusation of being communist rebels.
She gave birth to a son at the Philippine General Hospital on July 22. But after the Morong regional trial court threw out Friday her motion for recognizance, Oliveros was sent back to Camp Bagong Diwa.
Palabay condemned the transfer from the state-run hospital to the police headquarters as inhumane, saying it could affect Oliveros' recovery following a caesarean birth.
The detention facility, too, is not good for the health of the infant, she said.
