NEWS | Barely a month-old baby, separated from detained activist mother, dies
By Rowz Fajardo
Negrosanon political prisoner Nona Espinosa’s less than a month-old daughter died last February 14 due to an infection in the lungs and blood after being hospitalized for a few days due to low hemoglobin count. Espinosa was arrested last September 2020.
Advocacy group Kapatid urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to probe into the death of Baby Carlen, Espinosa’s late daughter, on Thursday. They also demanded the CHR to look into the conditions of other pregnant prisoners, particularly if the government is complying with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders, otherwise known as the Bangkok Rules.
Death of Baby Carlen
Espinosa was pregnant at the time of her arrest along with her husband Adidas Acero. Despite lieutenant colonel Melvin Flores’, 62nd infantry battalion commander , promise that Espinosa would be given immediate medical attention considering her pregnancy, Espinosa had minimal prenatal care.
On the day of her delivery, Espinosa was going through medical complications and was advised to have a cesarean section operation rather than normal delivery. Baby Carlen, despite having breathing complications and a cleft palate, was born last January 2021.
Furthermore, Espinosa, after a crucial delivery, was brought back to the Guihungan City Police Station Jail. She was separated from her daughter three days after her birth. Baby Carlen was then given to her mother’s family.
Due to this, Espinosa was not able to give her daughter proper postnatal care. Baby Carlen, having birth complications, was given no access to breastmilk or any postnatal care. Days before her death, which was caused by an infection in the lungs and blood, Baby Carlen was hospitalized due to low hemoglobin count.
Trumped-up charge vs. Espinosa
Espinosa and Acero were arrested by a joint military and police operatives at Brgy. Buenavista, Guihungan City, Negros Oriental and were tagged as top leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Espinosa was said to be the deputy secretary of Central Neros1 Front. On the other hand, her husband, Acero was the vice-commander of Front Operational Command of the NPA. Seven other people were arrested in the same operation, but unlike Espinosa and Acero, they were immediately released.
According to the police report, a cache of firearms and explosives were seized from Espinosa and the others at the time of their arrest. Among the firearms and explosives collected was a 9-mm Glock pistol later verified to be that of the late Guihulngan police chief, Supt. Arnel Arpon, who was killed in an ambush along with six of his men in Barangay Magsaysay on July 21, 2017.
Not the first case
The case of Espinosa and her daughter Baby Carlen is not the first case of prisoner mothers separated from their newborn children. Despite having the First 1,000 Days Law, which stresses the protection given to postpartum and lactating women for the first 1,000 days after delivery, political prisoner mothers still suffer from being separated from their children such as in the case of Espinosa and detained activist Reina Mae Nasino.
Before Baby Carlen’s passing, Nasino’s child, Baby River, died last October 2020 due to pneumonia. Like Baby Carlen’s case, Baby River was also separated from her mother shortly after birth when the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Marivic Balisi-Umali dismissed Nasino’s petition to be allowed to breastfeed her newborn daughter last July 2020.
Baby River’s death and funeral last year have ignited outrage in the country. The event was tagged as a result of the deterioration of conditions for human rights defenders under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim stressed in her statement the importance of keeping mother and child together as breastfeeding is essential for survival and that the cases of infants dying after being separated from their mothers is a serious concern.
On the other hand, peasant organizer Amanda Echanis was arrested with her one-month-old son last December 22, 2020. Echanis was arrested three months after her father’s, Randall Echanis, murder. As of writing, Baby Randall, Echanis’ son, is still staying with her mother in prison.
Human rights groups called out to free political prisoners and review the conditions of pregnant prisoners in the country. The Duterte administration was also slammed and asked to be accountable for the deaths of the innocent under his regime.
“There are stories in the dark that must come to light but let the plight of baby Carlen and baby River remind the government of its obligation to prioritize the protection of the innocent. Otherwise, release their mothers to take proper care of them since there are other custodial and judicial measures to enforce their appearance in court,” Lim stated.
