We at WhenInManila.com would like to believe that there are still a lot of honest and good officers in our country. However, we can’t pretend not to notice the many corrupt officials lurking our city as well.
Recently, Glen Q. turned to Facebook to share a letter from one of the members of their couchsurfing community, Ramke Samadhi. Glen shares, “A reputable member of our Couchsurfing community, Ramke Samadhi has fallen victim of vile corruption. This is clearly a case of planted evidence and fabrication.”
Ramke Samadhi writes, “To everybody’s knowledge i am still detained in this little tiny cell in San Juan, Siquijor. This is my 12th day in jail. If convicted i will be imprisoned to 25 years to lifetime imprisonment.” According to his letter, police officers planted drugs on him and he is begging for our help to prove his innocence. Read his letter below.
Contents of Ramke’s mail from jail:
“To all my friends, your utmost concern has been giving me so much strength and inspiration. Your love has reached the deepest of my soul and for that I feel unbound from any tangible prison. I think now is the best time to share my story so I could clear things up for all of you.
It was November 12th at 12 midnight when I was arrested by the police just a few meters away from Dagsa Resto Bar. I was with Federica Milan and with her two other Italian friends. We were supposed to go to Coral Cay Resort to celebrate Federica’s birthday, but then tragedy struck. I was arrested first by the civilian-clothed policemen. Then suddenly a bunch of uniformed police officers approached me. I was really surprised at the sudden turn of event. My Italian friends were screaming for them to let go of me. They never clarified what they arrested me for. Little did I know it was a buy-bust operation. I only knew about this when I was already at the police station. When they arrested me they didn’t even do a thorough body search, and didn’t even check my wallet and pockets. For sure they knew I never had drugs on me. I was only shocked to see sachets of shabu and sticks of marijuana on the table while the police was writing a report on the table.
Everything happened so fast that I could not really fathom all the tiny details. While on the police station I was confused what was going on. When they arrested me at the road near Dagsa, I kept asking them what was wrong and what did I do wrong. The policemen kept mum. My Italian friends were really furious at the scene. They could never believe what was happening. The policemen separated me from Federica (I was walking close to her while her Italian friends were several steps ahead). Federica was screaming at them and asking me what I should do. She asked me if she should go with me. I was concerned about her safety and well-being, I told her to stay away. I told her that my sister is a lawyer and that I will take care of myself.
To make the long story short, it was supposed to be a buy-bust operation. I only realized it when I suddenly saw one police put several sachets of shabu and 10 sticks of marijuana on the table, and a P500 bill as marked money. I was having a hard time figuring out what was happening. They never found drugs on me when they arrested me. My Italian friends saw it. Federica was the closest person next to me aside from the police. She can attest to my innocence. Also, one local Filipino saw everything too. He is the Chef of Dagsa and the boyfriend of the owner of Dagsa. Two days after, I realized already what the allegations were. My elder sister Chyd showed me the allegation on paper. Clearly it was a buy-bust operation. They should have caught me selling drugs on the act. I haven’t even seen the supposed to be pseudo-buyer at the night of the arrest. I only saw him 2 days after when the police brought me to the Regional Trial Court in Larena for the preliminary investigation. The police picked him up somewhere in Siquijor, Siquijor on our way to Larena. According to the affidavit of arrest, at 12:45 AM a confidential informant made a phone call transaction with me to buy 1 sachet of shabu worth P500. Then at 12:50, the confidential informant called me up again and I went out of Dagsa and the confidential informant produced the pseudo buyer. When the so called transaction was made, the pseudo buyer signaled the police that the transaction was completed and the policemen arrested.
THIS WAS CLEARLY FABRICATED!
There was never a phone call or any transaction that happened that night. Most of you know I am a musician. The time before the arrest, I was playing music. I am the in-house musician at the bar and my band mates and I play there regularly every Thursday night from 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
So my friends that is my story. Siquijor is a very tiny Island. Paradise so to speak, and has a very rich shamanic tradition. It just saddens me that police brutality and cruelty also exists in this beautiful island. This incident is very traumatic for my family and to some very close friends. It just shows how abusive and corrupt policemen in Siquijor are. I earn my living playing music twice a week. I don’t own motorbike or a car. I mostly walk barefoot. I have a small bamboo house on the hills. I live simply as much as possible. I love being very close to the yolk of life in simplicity because I have realized this is the best way to savor its pure complexities.
This incident that happened to me is rooted in jealousy. I am not originally from this island. I heard people talking about me -looking differently (perhaps really strange to their eyes) with my long dreadlocks doesn’t help at all. They judge me on my outer appearance. They criticize me for being different. And would you believe this, the night they arrested, me they were never really asking me about drugs. All they asked me was about my affairs with the foreign girls: my love life and who I am seeing at the moment. They said that I should also let them join into the fun. They really never know the depths of my being and why I connected easily with travelling tourists that I meet. Some of the police have been harassing me for a couple of months already. They accused me of dealing drugs with foreigners and telling me foreigners want to be with me because I have all the drugs and I sell these to them. These policemen are very oblivious about my real personality, not really knowing the kind of person that I am. I am truly saddened by this blindness – by these mental walls that separate me from them, from all these people who have such prejudices just because I am living a life that they could not understand, because of course they haven’t experienced it.
Rest assured I would not seek vengeance over these but justice. Each day I pray to the universe for strength, patience, wisdom and compassion. Each day I pray for those responsible people behind my arrest to have a change of heart and that they would see the truest worth of my being and soul. Where I am now only reminds me of this vast mystery of life – this sense of divisiveness amongst us brought about by misunderstanding and envy. I still have faith in the kindness of the human spirit. Please include me in your prayers. I dream that one day this will lead to bridges, to healing, and to a much deeper understanding that our hearts are actually bigger than we have imagined.
May all beings be happy.
***
To everybody’s knowledge i am still detained in this little tiny cell in San Juan, Siquijor. This is my 12th day in jail. If convicted i will be imprisoned to 25 years to lifetime imprisonment. So my dear friends I need your help and prayers…I also realized the police in Sanjuan have done this so many times to innocent people in Siquijor…even my cell mate now has almost the same story as mine…by all means help me see the light again…may the Universe use my story to help bring justice to so many innocent people put to jail. please share my story and let the whole world know…love and peace, Ramke”
Glen further shares, “Circumstances did not allow me to meet this guy when I was in Siquijor with some of his friends. I have heard fascinating stories about his passion, art and his humble and very simple way of living. It infuriates me that these low-life government officials did this to him. His friends from all over the world are rallying to make his story viral. Let’s help.”
Yikes, if you thought Tanim Bala was bad, this is definitely a lot worse. How do you guys feel about this story?
