Revisiting the Bicutan Siege

Based in my idea that was happened that Special Action Forces of the

Philippines National Police stormed an attempted jailbreak in a maximum

security detention center in Bicutan, Taguig City, Philippines, on March 15,

2005. It results of separate investigation conducted by the Commission on

Human Rights(CHR) and Philippines Alliance of Human Rights

Advocates(PAHRA). And the official statement of government officials

involved. There are three(3) justification emerge to explain the death of 23

detainees and a member of the National Police: (1) Incompetence of

Prisons and Police personnel;(2) a breakdown of administrative control

over the police assault team; and (3) a premeditated and concerted effort to

eliminate identical enemies of the state. It includes that the third option in

the most credible, which is bolstered by the government meager response

to explain the massacre, and by failing to adopt measures proposed by the

Philippine Commission of Human Rights. In that after a standoff of more

than 24hours, the police gained control of the facility; many are wounded

and 23 detainees was dead, and member of the PNP-SAF was also killed.

In an attempt to fully understand the Bicutan Siege, explanations are

explored and analyze the separate investigation by the (CHR) Commission

on Human Rights and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates

(PAHRA), The evidence suggest that the Bicutan Siege was a premiditated

and conserted effort of the National government to eliminate identified

enemies of the state (the members of the Abusayyaf Group or ASG),

notwithstanding that they were on or awaiting for trial in their criminal acts.

In such negotiation the spokesperson of Limbong's group he is 'Ka Lando'

he has four demands (1) speedy trial of their cases (2)assurance that they

would not be harmed if they surrendered,(3) respect for their human rights ,

(4) airing of their grievances before members of the press (CHR 2006)

Secretary Reyes the head of crisis management team asked the group to

surrender first before they would given access to the media, but the

barricade detainees insisted that the media interviews come first, and later

on Secretary Reyes acceded to this demand; Limbong’s group requested

that they be allowed to eat and pray first. In my opinion of this it was

happen due to maltreatment of the offenders inside the prison jail, they

want justice that they were also human to indulge due process of law. In

contrast government will not give special treatment to the offenders; lack of

funds to make and give to the prisoners they want to, and for those who

participated in siege they will make a maximum tolerance in promulgating

human rights of the person’s that’s why they will arising in the Bicutan

Siege, that they never forgot as a riot between PNP-SAF and Abusayyaf
Group(ASG)including MILF and MNLF members that threaten the

government as a rebellion cases. Moreover it will give chaos to other

detainees who are in Bicutan jail where there were no relations to the

siege. Most of the participated are the members of the ASG and have a

rebellion cases in our government. They wanted to have equality of

humanities but the government perceptions are to take them in a long and

narrow promulgating the sentences of the suspected militant and warrior. In

lieu of this the government must heard the equal distribution of the law in

our constitution. But fairly to the government officials, we accept that we

are lack of personnel in the juridical justice to handle cases; to fast tracking

due to the fact that may cases will be prioritize to prosecute and give the

justice of the crimes committed. But inspite of that the said crimes in the

Bicutan jail was surprisingly to the government that they made in relation to

the human rights which we are equally protected by laws. In the Philippines

we accept the reality that some various crimes even it is a minor crimes it

was a premeditated and time consuming to the court due to lack of

personnel(judges) to make a verdict of the said crimes. So the cases runs

slowly ; we know the reality of that, it is one basis that was happened in

Bicutan Siege on March 15, 2005. Even of the crime committed we give

them equality as being a human; inspite of the cases and crimes

committed. Because every person has the right to change and reform all

their sins that they will interact at the time they are in the community.