Karapatan: BJMP, court took away Baby River's fighting chance to live
MANILA, Philippines — Rights alliance Karapatan blamed the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte for the tragic death of three-month old Baby River, daughter of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino.
“Baby River’s death is on the Duterte government, especially when there have been numerous occasions that agencies and government bodies could have acted to avert this tragedy,” the group said in a statement on Friday morning.
The Palace has said that the baby's death is tragic but that "the president cannot do anything, that is within the jurisdiction of our court." Officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, an agency of the executive branch, had blocked previous attempts by Nasino to be with her baby as well as for furlough to attend the wake.
River is set to be laid to rest in the afternoon, at the Manila North Cemetery. She died on October 9, without reuniting with her mother, who had earlier asked the court to allow them to be together until Baby River was a year old.
"The courts and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology could have allowed Reina Mae to breastfeed and take care of her Baby River for a year, which could have given Baby River’s health a fighting chance to survive," Karapatan said.
The Manila City Jail warden opposed Nasino’s plea to be with River for a year, saying that their guidelines only allow a child of a detainee to be with her mother for a month and that they do not have a facility for nursing.
They also opposed the three-day continuous furlough the Manila court earlier granted to Nasino citing lack of personnel, even though almost 50 prison and police officers escorted the jailed activist to the funeral home on Wednesday.
“All evidence clearly points to the fact that the Duterte government is responsible for this grave injustice,” it added.
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Karapatan said that it was the Philippine National Police led by Metro Manila top cop Debold Sinas that arrested Reina Mae on a search warrant issued by Quezon City Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert, the validity of which was questioned by groups. Courts too did not listen to Nasino’s pleas and jail officers sought to reduce her bereavement furlough.
"These are not random acts of cruelty and inhumanity: clearly, this is a coordinated ‘whole-of-nation’ effort led by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict to ensure that arrested activists and political prisoners like Reina Mae suffer for crimes they did not commit — even to the extent of allowing a three-month old baby to die just so they can torture Reina Mae," it added.
READ: Group asks Chief Justice Peralta: Be a humane, more active court
'Allow Reina Mae to grieve'
Kapatid, a support and advocacy group for political prisoners, meanwhile urged the BJMP and PNP to respect Nasino’s privacy to mourn her baby’s death and unshackle her hands so she can properly mourn.
Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said that jail and police officers should be reminded that the court allowed Nasino to see her baby for the last time. “She lost a lifetime rearing up a child so do not rob her of this only chance to be with her. Let Reina Mae grieve in peace without police interference,” she added.
She also asked the police to allow Nasino to properly grieve, let her embrace River’s casket or hug her family. “These are the little things compared to what this government did to her,” Lim added.
Nasino’s lawyers on Thursday filed a manifestation before the Manila court recounting the “cruel and inhumane” treatment of the grieving mother in the hands of law enforcers. They said Nasino, with 47 guards, had her hands in cuffs except for only a few minutes and her guards tried to whisk her away even though there is still time left in her furlough.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros also questioned the number of guards sent to accompany Nasino who only wanted to grieve and see her daughter for the last time.
“If cruelty will be our answer to the grievances of our countrymen in the middle of the worst crisis, Reina Mae’s suffering will be the suffering of our the nation. The real indicator of who we are as a nation is if we can still offer even our worst critics compassion,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Hontiveros asked to give Nasino and River time to say goodbye. Calling on government officials, she said compassion and empathy should be innate amid the economic and health crisis brought by COVID-19.
“No matter our political differences, our decisions should always be made in kindness,” she added. — Kristine Joy Patag
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