3-month hospital stay for Morong 43 mom not enough – KMU

“Judilyn Oliveros should be allowed to care for her baby outside detention facility longer. In the first place, the Morong 43 should not stay in jail any longer.”

This was labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno’s reaction to the August 26 ruling of the Morong Regional Trial Court Branch 78 allowing political detainee and new mother Judilyn Oliveros to stay with her baby at the Philippine General Hospital for three months for humanitarian considerations.

One of the 43 health workers arrested in February 6 in Morong, Rizal, Oliveros gave birth to a baby boy last July 22. Her petition to breastfeed and care for her new-born child outside detention facility was junked by the court, and she was sent back to Camp Bagong Diwa immediately.

She then filed a motion for reconsideration which, with Justice Sec. Leila de Lima’s support and the Morong 43’s protests, was approved by the court.

“Preventing a mother from nursing her new-born baby outside detention facility is clearly inhumane. But allowing her to do that for only three months doesn’t go that far in being humane. She should be allowed to stay at the hospital – heck, even at home – longer,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU executive vice-chairperson.

“In the first place, it is inhumane to illegally arrest and detain health workers and then file trumped-up charges against them. Torturing political detainees and keeping them incarcerated are also inhumane. They should be set free immediately,” added Ustarez.

KMU criticized President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III for “playing deaf” to calls for the immediate release of the 43 health workers and other political detainees.

“So far, President Noynoy has not shown any gesture of acceding to our demand for the release of the Morong 43 and other political detainees. He hasn’t even promised to look into their cases,” Ustarez said.

“We remind him: he cannot truly speak of change if he cannot even reverse the injustices committed by his predecessor. He is giving us reasons to think that it is his government’s policy not to reverse the policies that were implemented by his predecessor,” he added.