Bishops to AFP: Respect rights of ‘Morong 43’ - Nation - GMANews.TV

In a statement signed by its president Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) branded the “illegal arrest and continued detention" of the 43 workers as a “serious threat to the civil liberties of the Filipino people."

“The CBCP follows with grave concern the shifting accusations of the military against the health workers, the conflicting positions of government authorities on the legitimacy of the arrest and detention, and the seeming lack of regard of the AFP for human rights and the rule of law," Odchimar said.

He added the CBCP is worried about the workers’ well-being, saying their detention in Camp Capinpin, a military camp in Tanay, Rizal, makes them vulnerable to abuses, torture, threats and intimidation.

“Sustained exposure to psychosomatic strains may eventually break the fortitude and resistance of the Morong 43 into admitting under duress the accusations made against them," he said.

Bishops to AFP: Respect rights of ‘Morong 43’ - Nation - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News