PHILIPPINES: Suspicious death of an 18-year-old inmate in General Santos City, Mindanao 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from a reliable source regarding the suspicious death of an 18-year-old inmate, Arthur Esquelona at the General Santos City Reformatory Center (GSCRC) in General Santos City, Mindanao in early of December.

According to the report, Esquelona died on his way to the General Santos City Hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain. It was reported that Supt. Amilbangsa Aming, GSCRC jail warden, said that Esquelona may have died of ulcer – as he suffered severe stomach pain at the time of his death. But this, however, was disproved by an autopsy report conducted by medical experts.

According to Dr. Antonietta Odi, medico legal officer at the City Integrated Health Services (CIHS) – who performed the autopsy, there are indications Esquelona may not have died of an ulcer. In her report, Odi discovered traces of injuries on the victim’s head that may have been caused by being beaten or thrown into a hard object. Despite this medical finding, there have been no further investigations conducted to deeply look into Esquelona’s suspicious death.

We urge your strong intervention to pressure the concerned government agencies, in particular the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the police authorities, to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the victim’s death. They must closely coordinate with forensic investigators and medical experts to ensure that scientific investigation is observed.

Please also urge the Commission on Human Rights (CHR XII) regional office in General Santos City to commence its investigation. The CHR has the power under the 1987 Constitution to ‘exercise visitorial powers over jails, prisons, or detention facilities’ – but this has not been adequately discharge. The Commission must recommend compensation for the victim’s family if necessary. The families of the dead must also be properly informed should there be action taken.

Urgent Appeals programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Arthur Esquelona (18), a resident of Puting Bato, Barangay Calumpang, General Santos City
Date and place of his death: first week of December 2005 at the General Santos City Reformatory Center (GSCRC) in General Santos City, Mindanao

Case details:

Sometime in first week of December 2005, an 18-year-old inmate, identified as Arthur Esquelona (18) died while on his way to the General Santos City Hospital. Esquelona was taken to the hospital by jail officers of the General Santos City Reformatory Center (GSCRC) after he complained of severe stomach pain. According to Supt. Amilbangsa Aming, jail warden of the GSCRC, the victim may have died of an ulcer.

Esquelona – who belongs to a poor family – had been detained at the GSCRC for awhile. After the victim’s death, his parents, Rodrigo and his wife Rosalinda, raised suspicions over the incident. The couple claimed that their son was in good health prior to his detention and when the visited him in October 2005.

According to Rodrigo, his son was found to have a blood clot on his head, which he theorized may have caused his death. They are not convinced that their son died of an ulcer as reported by the jail officers. This prompted them to have their son subjected to an autopsy examination.

In the autopsy report released by Dr. Antonietta Odi, medico-legal officer at the City Integrated Health Services (CIHS), it was found the victim’s body had traces of injuries on the head. Dr. Odi said the victim’s head may have been beaten or thrown into a hard object, which may have caused his death. According to Odi’s opinion, deaths of patients who are suffering from ulcers are completely different from Esquelona. However, Dr. Odi has yet to subject the victim’s body for further examination to determine the victim’s medical history prior to his death.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Esquelona’s death is yet another incident of death inside the General Santos City Reformatory Center (GSCRC). There have been deaths and sickness of inmates because of the poor prison condition. Despite this, however, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the agency in charge of prisons, has not taken adequate action to improve the prison conditions.

In May 2005, two inmates died of tuberculosis (TB) disease and heart disease in separate incidents inside the GSCRC. There have been a number of inmates who contracted or acquired a number of diseases including tuberculosis, severe coughing and high blood pressure. Although the jail authorities are aware of the situation, their response has completely failed their requirements.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) released its findings and evaluation regarding the condition of prisons all over the country on November 2004, and reported the increasing number of inmates in prisons and penitentiaries contracting tuberculosis. Among the causes for the disease to spread are congested prison centers and lack of food. This, however, has not been adequately addressed.

According to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) regarding its evaluation of prison conditions in the country report for 2005, Dr. Renante Basas, director CHR’s assistance and visitorial office, has concluded that the country’s jails and detention centers, including the seven national penitentiaries, have remained below the standard.

The Commission noted that detainees were deprived of places that are fit for human beings. They noted that “nothing has changed” in improving the condition of the country’s jails. They cited examples – that the detention centers remain congested and lack proper ventilation. There were also no separate detention areas for children [in conflict with the law] who are included in the prisons cells of adult inmates.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send letters to the addresses listed below and raise your concern regarding this matter. An independent and impartial investigation must be conducted into Arthur Esquelona’s suspicious death without delay. The concerned government agencies must also take effective steps to address the problems of prison conditions.

 

 

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