MAGPET, North Cotabato, Philippines—A religious singer from this town was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Iranian court late last year for allegedly trying to sneak out illegal drugs, his sister told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday.
Emmie Tamonde said her brother Ernie has been in prison in Mashad since November last year after he was arrested in possession of a package that allegedly contained unspecified illegal drugs.
She said her brother was to fly out to Malaysia to continue his religious mission when an Iranian friend asked him to drop by Thailand to carry a package for him. The Iranian man shouldered the cost of his ticket to Thailand and Malaysia.
Emmie said Ernie was passing by airport security when he was arrested.
Emmie said what was sad was that the family learned of Ernie’s ordeal last week.
A report from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the Philippine Embassy in Tehran was aware of Tamonde’s case. But officials, it said, failed to visit him.
“I ask the government to please take immediate action or possibly negotiate with the Iranian government to commute the sentence of my brother,” Emmie said.
Mayor Efren Piñol said he will send a letter to President Benigno Aquino III on behalf of the Tamonde family.
“I hope and pray that President Aquino will take action on my request once he receives my letter,” Piñol said.
Support has been pouring for Ernie on the website of the Iranian human rights group.
“I do not believe he can do such a thing. He is a Christian and believes so much in our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not even smoke or drink alcohol. He is in the Praise and Worship group here in the Philippines, and I don’t know how he got to Iran? Please help him,” a man identifying himself as Emil wrote.
Another supporter, Charles Meehleib, described Ernie as “a good man.”
“This man would not do anything like that so please let us all help him,” Ping Sarzosa said.
Sarzosa said, “I met Ernie when I was 18, year 1998. He is one of the students of Philippine Christian Ministry (https://www.pcm.ph ).”
“At that time they came to be Interns/ OJT (On the Job Training) in our church. From there he decided to stay in our church and do ministry. He leads young people to know Jesus Christ, He do campus ministry and many young people are now saved from doing wrong things in life, and they have now good direction in Life,” Sarzosa said.
Mark Henry Munar, whom Ernie taught, said “I’d never heard him being accused of selling prohibited drugs or a part of a drug syndicate since the first time I met him.”
“So, now, I am surprised and shocked that he’s in jail only because he was set up by a stranger abroad. I know and still believe in you my dear brother and friend that you did nothing wrong and were just set up by that stranger guy,” Munar added.
The Inquirer learned that the so-called Praise musicians have also started a campaign to help Ernie out of Iranian jail.