Political prisoners sell handicrafts, veggies to donate to Manila’s poor communities

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 23, 2013) – Political prisoners have sold handicrafts and vegetables they produce and gifts from friends to be able to respond to calls by the human rights group Karapatan for donations for poor communities devastated by floods in Manila.

The human rights group said political detainees at Camp Bagong Diwa made the donation to its national office in Manila.

“The political prisoners were among the first to respond to our call for donation for urban poor communities in Manila. The money came from the sales of handicrafts they make, from vegetables they produce, and gifts from their friends,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan Secretary-General, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Fernando Piccoro, leader of tricycle drivers plying the streets of Manila, his group was among those benefited from the food donations of the prisoners.

“Yung mga political detainees pa ang unang naka-alala sa aming mga nabaha, samantala yung mga dapat nakakulong na nagpapahirap sa taumbayan ay nagsasaya at walang pakialam sa kalagayan namin. (The political detainees were the first to respond to needs of the flood victims, while those who are ought to be in jail are mindless of our situation),” Piccoro said in the same statement.

Piccoro said the gesture of the prisoners in reaching out to poor people like them warmed their hearts because despite their being in jails they still managed to reach out to the poor.

“Mas marami pa talaga silang magagawa para sa katulad namin kung nasa labas sila ng kulungan. (They could do more for people like us when they are not in detention),” he said. 

Palabay said they also share the same sentiments and is similarly grateful to the political detainees for their real concern to the poor.

“We share the sentiments of the drivers and vendors, knowing how important the money is to political prisoners themselves – to augment their one-fish-a-day food ration inside prison, to buy medicines for their ailments. But the political detainees chose to share whatever they have to those who were affected by the flood,” she said.