Calbayog police station wants list of lawyers for CPP members; NUPL shocked
MANILA, Philippines – The Calbayog City Police Station has requested the Calbayog Regional Trial Court for a list of lawyers representing members of the communist party.
In a one-page letter with an attachment, the Calbayog police said they are making a request in “compliance from higher PNP offices regarding lawyers who represent Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) personalities in Court.”
Asked for confirmation, the Calbayog RTC has informed the Supreme Court that the police made such a request “but no action has been made by them on the request.”
“Yes, the Office of the Clerk of Court of the RTC Calbayog confirmed receipt of the letter request this afternoon. However, no action has been taken on the request,” Supreme Court’s Public Information Chief and Spokesperson Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka said, relaying the message of the Calbayog Clerk of Court.
Atty. Edre Olalia, President of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said at first, the request is unbelievable “for its impudence.”
Article continues after this advertisement“But then again, it fits into the puzzle on the who, what, why, and how of these attacks. The only remaining question is when and where,” Olalia said.
He added that “this audacious request that is hard to refuse is the smoke in the gun traceable to the hand that pulled the trigger and the enablers of various attacks against lawyers especially human rights lawyers representing clients the State does not like.”
A NUPL lawyer Angelo Karlo “AK” Guillen was attacked and stabbed in the head early this month. He survived the attack. Guillen is one of the counsels in the petition filed by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) against the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act before the Supreme Court.
From June 2016 to January 2021, there are already 56 members of the legal profession killed.
The number of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors killed is higher compared to the 41 lawyers killed from 2001 to 2014 based on a report published in December 2014 by the Foundation of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer, the Association of European Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL), the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy (ELDH) and the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL).
INQUIRER.net is trying to get the side of the Philippine National Police but has yet to respond as of this writing.
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