N.B. – This was published in The Lobbyist (December 7) where I write a column (Subtext).

The detained community health workers called the Morong 43 staged a hunger strike last December 3 to protest what they claim to be their illegal arrest and detention. Arrested on the strength of a warrant for a person they do not know on February 6 in Morong, Rizal, this December marks the 10th month of their incarceration. They were accused of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. In the eyes of the military, they are not health workers but communist rebels.

Since their arrest, many things have changed in the lives of the Morong 43. Media have covered the unfolding events surrounding them very well. There is, after all, a lot of drama involved in two of the detainees giving birth while in prison.

I think an even bigger drama is expected as the hunger strike continues and other political prisoners (not to mention the families and supporters of the Morong 43) are currently following suit. The irony, after all, is very apparent: The hunger strike is being done at a time when Christmas is fast approaching, when people are expected to eat to their heart’s content at parties and other festivities.

At this point, I can only hope that the news would focus less on the drama and more on the irony, particularly as the world celebrates International Human Rights Day on December 10.

There is obviously something ironic also in the call of President Noynoy Aquino to free the Magdalo soldiers who revolted against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not once but twice (in 2003 and 2007), not to mention his well-publicized support for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who used to be under house arrest for more than 20 years. President Aquino sends a clear message that he is indeed for human rights of all, except the likes of the Morong 43.

Now that the hunger strike is ongoing, perhaps journalists can ask President Aquino if he is reminded of what his father did while in prison. For those who don’t recall, ex-senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was one of the first to be arrested when the late President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in September 1972. For a period of 40 days (April 4 to May 13, 1975), Ninoy Aquino went on hunger strike, living only on two glasses of water a day. Aside from water, he only took salt tablets, sodium bicarbonate and amino acids during his hunger strike.

President Noynoy Aquino was 15 years old at that time. He was studying at the Ateneo de Manila University when his father went on hunger strike. For sure, he knew about his father’s ordeal even if the mainstream press during Martial Law gave it little or no coverage.

Now that the shoe is on the other foot, will he still be reminded of his father whenever he is informed about what political prisoners are going through? According to the human rights group Karapatan, there are 371 political prisoners (including the Morong 43), most of whom are still detained as of September 30. Of this number, 63 are said to be women and six are minors.

When journalists cover the so-called hunger in December, it is hoped that the political prisoners’ bigger hunger for freedom is given more prominence as the irony is exposed. It is necessary that the unfolding drama is analyzed in the context of analyzing the current administration’s perceived indifference regarding their plight.