Support group KAPATID has questioned what it called “selective justice” after the Sandiganbayan granted bail to former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. while elderly political detainees remain behind bars.
The group said humanitarian considerations were given to Revilla but not to aging and sick political prisoners who have spent years in detention while waiting for their cases to be resolved.
“This decision exposes the sharpest irony of Philippine justice: swift, compassionate discretion for the powerful but rigid severity and endless delays for political prisoners and poor persons deprived of liberty,” said KAPATID spokesperson Fides Lim.
KAPATID specifically cited the case of detained activist Vicente “Vic” Ladlad, who has been in jail since 2018 and is suffering from several illnesses. The group also mentioned elderly detainees Virginia and Alberto Villamor, who continue to face health problems while in detention.
The group has asked the Supreme Court to order Ladlad’s release on humanitarian grounds, saying equal protection under the law should apply to everyone regardless of status.
“We urge the courts to end selective justice, uphold the right to a speedy trial, and apply humanitarian standards equally to all,” Lim said.IMT
