Families of political prisoners under the banner of KAPATID have sharply rebuked Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s claim that detained lawmakers Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada, along with others facing plunder and graft charges, should be considered “political prisoners.”
KAPATID stressed that the term carries a precise definition under international human rights law and the 1987 Philippine Constitution. A political prisoner, they noted, is someone deprived of liberty for exercising fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, or association, or through politically motivated persecution.
“No person shall be detained solely by reason of his political beliefs and aspirations,” reads Article 3, Section 18(1) of the Constitution.
The group underscored that corruption cases involving the misuse of millions in public and campaign funds cannot be equated with political persecution. “Their detention arises from stealing public resources for personal gain—serious offenses that betray public trust,” KAPATID declared.
Defining Political Persecution
According to KAPATID, genuine political prisoners are often activists and community organizers from poor and working-class sectors. Many of the country’s estimated **675 political prisoners** have been subjected to red-tagging, trumped-up charges, planted evidence, and prolonged detention for resisting state abuses.
“These politicians and their den of thieves do not fit the definition,” the group said, adding that corruption accountability cannot be sanitized as political martyrdom.
Justice System Flaws Not a Shield
KAPATID acknowledged the Philippine justice system’s flaws—selective prosecution, political influence, and double standards—but insisted these defects do not transform corruption cases into political persecution.
The group warned against weaponizing language: “To describe those charged with corruption as ‘political prisoners’ distorts both law and history. The term is reserved for those who sacrifice freedom in the struggle for social justice, not for those who exploit public office for self-interest.” # (ZIA LUNA)
