FORMER political detainees across the region are seeking the fast tracking of the release of their compensation through Republic Act (RA) 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.
The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainess Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda) in Northern Mindanao representative Hugo Orcullo said his group sought the help of Rufus Rodriguez to fast track the implementation of Republic Act 10368. RA 10368 was signed into law on February 2013.
Selda is the organization that initiated the class suit against former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Orcullo, a former media practitioner said that the victims of the human rights violations in the Marcos era are dying and that the implementation of the law is taking too long.
On its official website, Selda slammed the slow implementation of the law.
Selda national coordinator Roneo Clamor said that is has been months since the law was signed yet the process for the application for reparation and recognition is yet to begin.
“It has been months since President Aquino has signed the bill into law, what is taking the government so long to take the initial steps to implement the law? Are the martial law victims in for a very long wait again?” Orcullo asked.
On September 21, 1972, former President Ferdinand Marcos declared the Martial Law to stop the growing insurgencies, following the Plaza Miranda bombing.
RA 10368 requires that a human rights victim’s claims board must be formed within 30 days so it can proceed to formulate the law’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and start with its evaluation and processing of the claims of the Martial Law victims under the Marcos dictatorship.
Clamor said that it was bad enough that the guidelines for the nominations to the board were never communicated to them (Selda), the law provides that Selda is one of the human rights organizations which may submit nomination to the claims board.
Selda has submitted to the office of the president their eight nominations for the claims board.
Orcullo added that 41 years after the martial law, the victims are still fighting for justice as they press for their rights to be indemnified.
“We fought for justice under the dictatorship of Marcos, 41 years later, we are still victims of injustice,” Orcullo added.