A Father's Plea: Medical Attention for Ericson Acosta

DEAR FRIENDS,

Political prisoner Ericson Acosta is in need of medical attention. Please forward, blog, tweet and share this letter of appeal from the Acosta family. We also encourage everybody to write to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to request the resolution of the Ericson Acosta case review which has been pending for almost a year. You may also address appeals to concerned government officials to drop trumped-up charges against Ericson and effect his immediate release.

A Father’s Plea

I am Isaias Acosta, father of detained artist and activist Ericson Acosta. I am writing this while I recuperate from a minor surgery pending further medical tests. Prior to my operation, I was all set for another visit to the sub-provincial jail in Calbayog City, Samar where my son has been detained for more than a year now.

I am now 79 years old, not in the best of health but would not pass up a chance to visit Ericson if I could help it. My wife, Liwayway, is turning 80 this year. She would have gone to Calbayog without me but she can hardly walk without support. We are both physically suffering due to our respective conditions but nothing compares to the torment of knowing that our son continues to be unjustly imprisoned.

My recent medical setback ironically and agonizingly emphasizes the reason behind our intended urgent visit. Lately, Ericson had been complaining of a nagging pain in his abdomen and lower back. The pain, he says, intensifies whenever he urinates. Now he has also noticed spots of blood in his urine. My cousin, Ericson’s uncle, displayed similar symptoms before he succumbed to prostate cancer.

Ericson rarely complains when he is sick. Even when he was arrested last year, his first words to me were, “Daddy, huwag kayo’ng mag-alala.” He always tells his mother not to fuss over him. Ganyan si Ericson. Hindi niya iniinda hangga’t kaya niya. Once when he was still in grade school, he waited until a “stomach ache” had become too unbearable before he finally told us to take him to the hospital. It turned out he immediately needed to undergo an appendectomy. The doctor said we got there in the nick of time.

Ericson’s last check-up two years ago revealed a renal function abnormality and a possible prostate affliction. So as soon as we received word that he is in pain, we arranged for a visit and asked our lawyers to immediately file a motion before the court seeking urgent medical attention for my son.

We had to skip the visit because of my condition. But after we filed the motion, we were told that the judge in charge of his case had just retired. How long would it take until a new judge is installed? It is as if our frustration with the slow resolution of Ericson’s case is not enough. We are once again left bereft of immediate legal options.

I write this letter of appeal to the jail warden, to the Department of Justice, to Secretary Leila de Lima, and to all other concerned branches of government. I am an old man with no shortage of illnesses as expected of anyone my age, but I would gladly forfeit any trip to the doctor if it could only be traded for much-needed medical treatment for my son. His mother and I fear that his latest hunger strike has further worsened his condition. Ericson must get the medical attention he needs.

I am writing this letter a few days after former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was released on a million-peso bail. I cannot but be distressed by the continuing prejudice of our justice system against my son and other political prisoners like him.

Arroyo was placed under hospital arrest in consideration of her illness. Si Arroyo, sa kabila ng kanyang mga kasalanan sa taumbayan, ay pinayagang manatili sa de-aircon na ospital, regular na inaasikaso ng mga doktor at nars gamit ang buwis ng mamamayan. Ngayon siya’y pinalaya pa. Si Ericson at iba pang tulad niya na ang tanging kasalanan ay magsakripisyo para sa maliliit na tao, nasa kawawang kalagayan at hindi kinikilala ang mga karapatan. No, we do not seek preferential treatment like Arroyo. What we demand is that Ericson and all other political prisoners – who are ailing precisely because of dismal prison conditions – also be accorded the right to medical attention as necessary.

We appeal to all freedom-loving citizens and human rights advocates to once again help us in our latest plea for Ericson. During these disconcerting times, we shall continue to fight for Ericson’s release from detention. We add our voices to all others whose sons and daughters are unjustly imprisoned – free all political prisoners.

Yours,

ISAIAS P. ACOSTA

Details for letter-writers:

Department of Justice

Padre Faura Street,

Malate, Manila,

PHILIPPINES, 1000

Telephone: (02) 532-8481, (02) 523-6826

Email: communications@doj.gov.ph

Website: www.doj.gov.ph

LEILA M. DE LIMA

Secretary, DOJ

Telefax: 523-9548

Direct Line: 521-1908

Trunkline: 523-8481 loc. 211, 214

Email: lmdelima@doj.gov.ph; lmdelima_doj@gmail.com 

H.E. Benigno Simeon Aquino III

President of the Republic of the Philippines

Malacañang Palace

JP Laurel St., San Miguel

Manila 1005

PHILIPPINES

Voice: (+632) 735-6201 / 564-1451 to 80

Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968

E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

Directory of Philippine consulates and embassies:

http://dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/about-the-dfa/rp-embass

consulates-a-rcos/phl-embassies-and-consulates-general

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Passing the RH Bill does not mean we will run out of Babies

Patricia Evangelista wrote about Danilo Suarez’s "courage," which I believe should have been shameless opportunism for abandoning RH Bill 4244 of his kulig este colleague former minority leader Edcel Lagman. Together with his fellow clowns jumping in joy at seeing their BPF (Best Plunderer Forever) Gloria Suarez announced that the following nut jobs errr fellow lawmaker are now the party of RH Bill abandonist aligned with Padre Damasos, namely:

• Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua
• Una Ang Pamilya Party-list Rep. Reena Concepcion Obillo
• Lanao del Sur Rep. Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman
• AA Kasosyo Party-list Rep. Nasser Pangandaman
• Camarines Norte Rep. Elmer Panotes
• Anad Party-list Rep. Pastor Alcover

LOL..... there goes the opportunist showing their true colors together with an irrelevant church imposing their religious beliefs on the ever growing marginalization of their flocks.

Suarez reasoning if ever we can call it that for abandoning the RH Bill was when he visited western countries he does not seem to see children around, hehehe thus he felt the need to abandon the "cause" lest we run out of babies, LOL.

Suarez unfounded fears only shows he has no clue on the enormity and almost hopeless problem we are dealing with on our population explosion. So far there are 95.5 Million Pinoy and counting 18.4% living in poverty with an average age of 22.2 and fertility rate of 3.27% do they really think we will run out of babies in the near future even if they passed the RH Bill now instead of endlessly debating it?

There are almost 500,000 illegal abortions performed yearly risking life and limb even jail sentence just to avoid giving birth to babies they can't afford to feed and did that huge number stop the exponential growth of our population? The point is we need the government to provide our women an alternative to illegal abortions and if they have to do it should be done in a safe clean medical facility performed by licensed physicians.

The government does not dictate on the churches how to practice their religion so why do we allow them to dictate and impose their religious beliefs on the government. Let them use the pulpit to give us a sermon on losing our Maria Claras if our Padre Damasos learn how to use contraceptives and they are within their right but to dictate on how the government is run is just too overbearing and against the separation of church and state......... But then again with the realignment of the plunderer and the church the people ought to know who are the real social villains here, hehehe.

As if this is not crazy enough we have Bishops who flew over the cuckoos nest este who stretch their argumentation to the hilt by saying that contraception is corruption. All because taxpayers money will be used to provide the contraceptives. 

If providing for contraceptives to prevent baby factories from making babies is considered corruption because of the use of taxpayers money, what is feeding the exponentially growing poor population and unwanted babies called?

Corruption is when someone pocketed the funds and thus adversely affected the integrity of the project. C'mon Mr. Bishops, you gays este guys can do better than that silly argumentation, LOL.......

Read Patricia Evangelista's article here....... 

Pass the RH BIll or eat ourselves to extinction?

While Philippine politicians of different persuasions indulge in a never ending debate whether to pass or junk the RH Bill LA Times came up with a very scary article on global population explosion.

It is understandable that people of different beliefs and persuasion will stood pat on what they deem to be right. In the end what counts is whether said stand helps the nation move forward towards a better society or one that was made even worse by their deluded decisions.

Prominent in the video section was that of retired archbishop Cruz a once active anti-Jueteng crusader who seems to have changed his priorities into the anti-RH Bill stance coming up with his pro-life version of population is the nation's wealth argument. Perhaps the good archbishop is overly optimistic, nothing wrong with that if what we need is to feel good but one must be grounded on the actual conditions and realities of the population explosion if we want humanity to survive in this ever changing world. Really scary, this is like saying if ever we get a buck for every child born out of the baby factories in the Manila alone we will all probably be wallowing in millions of pesos. I have no clue what drugs Mr. Cruz is taking right now but can he not see clearly that we are having problem of stunted malnourished children due to poverty and ignorance?

How can we treat our faster than rabbit like population explosion as our wealth when we see in the video a mother who wishes and prays to god that in case her children get sick and dying, to take them quickly and spare them the sufferings because she can't afford medical care? She can't even afford to regularly food food on their table what ore with hospitalization or simple medical needs?

Can we really be so foolishly optimistic in looking at the population is wealth half glass outlook when we have quite a number of children whose growth are stunted and malnourished? How can our population be our wealth when we know all along that malnutrition also affects children's brain development? True we sometimes need to have a brighter outlook amidst the squalor but one has to draw the line when it borders on delusion or plain lies.

We seem to be so fixated at denying realities that when the recent storm hit Manila hard it came with a sea load of trash dumped at the exclusive Manila Yacht Club turning it into mother nature's alternate dump site and surrounding areas. The sight as disgusting as it was is so surreal that took 500 people to clean and they can't even keep up with the enormous volume. A nasty reminder from mother earth nature not to use our open seas as our enormous dump site and was it because quite a huge sector of our population are not serviced by the city for their trash disposal? Signs that we are so overpopulated that we can't manage our trash disposal eventually polluting our surroundings even our seas?

Can we just stop the lies and call a spade a spade instead of virtual deception in the guise of optimism? As I watch the disgusting video coverage of the storm the onion skinned media willfully or was it naivete on their part when they encourage and contribute to the lies and deception? They know that they are lying when they call a mangangalkal (scavenger) to a mangangalakal (trader) which no matter or on what angle you look at it a scavenger is a scavenger. If we see scavengers getting excited at the disgusting tonloads of trash maybe it is about time we seriously consider passing the RH Bill and not be a burden to not just our own society but the world as well. Oh, in case the optimist still see population is wealth they may want to take a serious look at the exponential population explosion that will hit us like raging waves brought about by the storm and along with it mountains of trash.

Beyond 7 Billion, the worlds population and growing, until we figure out how to balance the exponential growth of the population against a dwindling natural resources we may end up eating ourselves to extinction.

On the surface if we look at China it appears that the myth that population is wealth seems to  be valid. While having a large population seems to help them it is not exactly utopian and their extremely huge population definitely affected the whole world in the fuel price hike unheard of before China became a consumer nation. Imagine if they did not embarked on a one-child policy would they have prospered or if they did can you imagine how past we can we deplete the world's fossil fuels? What about food production and our forest, the mineral resources, water, and electricity? Will we have enough to sustain our existence or are we heading towards self extinction?

95.5M Pinoys, 18.4% in poverty, with a median age of 22.2, and a fertility rate of 3.27%, guess how many babies are we expecting soon?

Related articles:

• Abstinence, Baby factories & Pro-Life Talibans
• No Condom for HIV infected couple
• Chastity Belts Anyone?

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