Justice sought for deceased political prisoner

MANILA, Philippines – A militant youth group is seeking justice for the death of a political prisoner whom a judge earlier said was a victim of mistaken identity.

Eduardo Serrano, 62, died on Thursday morning at the Philippine Heart Center while recovering from  surgery following a heart attack last month.

Serrano, a consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in the peace negotiations with the government, was the longest serving political prisoner in the country, Anakbayan said in a statement.

The youth group said Serrano had been in detention for 11 years after the military accused him of being a leader of the New People’s Army.

He was charged in various courts as a certain Rogelio Villanueva, who allegedly led a deadly ambush against military personnel in Oriental Mindoro in 2004.

However, in a ruling last year, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 Judge Marilou Runes-Tamang ordered the release of Serrano after prosecutors failed to show evidence that he was the same Villanueva.

Another court dropped the charges against him.

Serrano remained in detention as he had two other charges pending against him.

In its statement, Anakbayan said Serrano was a victim of trumped-up charges initiated against critics of the government.

It said his arrest was a violation of the Joint Agreement on Security Immunity Guarantees, which prohibits the imprisonment of negotiators in the peace talks.

Anakbayan called for the release of other political prisoners, saying there are around 555 people currently detained in different detention facilities across the country.