The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday denied rumors that it was planning to conduct an “ocular inspection” of research group Ibon Foundation in Quezon City, days after the series of raids involving progressive groups in Metro Manila and Negros.
“That is not true. Negative,” NCRPO director Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said at a press briefing in Kamuning Police Station.”
On Thursday, Ibon sounded the alarm over a possible raid in their office after they received information that a warrant of arrest will be served on someone supposedly inside their building.
Ibon said a certain Police Col. Joaquin Alva, who claimed to be from the NCRPO, called their office around 3 p.m. on Thursday to notify them of the police’s intent to inspect their premises.
Alva told their staff that the inspection was related to a criminal case against someone who, Ibon said, is not from their building nor holds office there.
“This is alarming and we believe that it is part of the Duterte government’s worsening crackdown on activists upholding human rights and so critical of its retrogressive policies and authoritarian governance,” Ibon said.
But Sinas said that Alva is no longer assigned to the NCRPO and someone might have used his identity.
On Friday, the Commission on Human Rights and barangay officials inspected the building that houses Ibon Foundation and independent news organization Altermidya and certified that there were no firearms and explosives in their offices.