The Supreme Court was asked Tuesday to issue a writ of habeas corpus for 43 health workers who were arrested by a joint team of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) due to their alleged links with the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

The health workers, which include two doctors, a nurse and a midwife, were apprehended during an alleged bomb-making workshop in Morong, Rizal last Saturday. The military and the police claimed it was the biggest arrest of suspected communist rebels.

In a 17-page petition for writ of habeas corpus, the health workers’ relatives and their organization, Community Medicine Development Foundation (COMMED), asked that they be presented before the High Court and be immediately released.

Writ of habeas corpus, which literally means “you have the body,” is an order directed to the person detaining another, commanding him to produce the body of the prisoner at a given time and place.

Named as respondents in the petition were AFP Chief-of-Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado, PNP chief Director General Jesus Versoza, Philippine Army Commander Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, Army 2nd Infantry Division chief Gen. Jorge Segovia, 202nd Infantry Brigade Commander Col. Aurelio Baladad, and Rizal PNP chief Supt. Marion Balonglong.

According to the petitioners, the health workers were held incommunicado for almost three days in Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal, and were denied their right to see their relatives and lawyers.

They said it was only Monday afternoon when some of the relatives, along with Commission on Human Rights Chairwoman Leila de Lima, were allowed inside the camp to talk to the victims.

The petition stated that starting February 1, leaders and members of COMMED and Community for Health Development have been conducting a comprehensive “Community First Responders Health Training” in a training facility within a farmhouse located at 266 Dela Paz St., Brgy. Maybangcal, Morong, Rizal.

The farmhouse is owned by Dr. Melecia Velmonte, COMMED’s chairman of the board and a renowned infectious disease specialist in the medical profession.

The last day of the training was supposed to be on February 7.

On February 6, however, at around 6:15 a.m., at least 300 heavily-armed soldiers and policemen headed by Col. Baladad and Supt. Balonglong entered and searched the farmhouse.

The military and the police brought with them eight 6x6 military trucks, two armored personnel carriers, one ambulance, one Kia Pride vehicle, and an undetermined number of PNP vehicles.

At past 8 a.m. of the same day, 43 men and women from the medical profession, including Drs. Merry Mia Clamor and Alex Montes, were “forcibly taken and removed from the farmhouse by the military and police without informing them about the reason for their arrests.”