Robredo to judiciary members: Impose safeguards in issuing search warrants

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday called on members of the judiciary to impose safeguards when it comes to issuing search warrants, telling them to make sure that it won’t be used as a way to exercise abuse of power.

During her weekly program “BISErbisyong Leni” over radio station DZXL, Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is one of the aspirants to become the next Chief Justice, was brought up as he said that judges should not indiscriminately grant search warrants based on allegations made by state agents.

“Reminder ito sa mga members of the judiciary na nagbibigay ng search warrants. Siguraduhin nila na ang binigay nila hindi magagamit—hindi magagamit sa pagpatay. Hindi magagamit sa pang-aabuso ng kapangyahiran,” she said.

(This is a reminder to the members of the judiciary who issue search warrants. They should make sure that those being given will not be used in order to kill. It won’t be used in abuse of power.)

“Hindi dapat ganoon kadali makakuha ng search warrant dahil kailangan… may personal—may ano, may personal knowledge, may proper determination ng judge ng circumstances. Pati nga iyong araw at oras ng pagsilbi ng search warrant ay mayroon tayong safeguards,” she added.

(Search warrants shouldn’t be issued easily. The judge should have personal knowledge and proper determination of the circumstances. There should also be safeguards on the time the search warrant was issued.)

This, after nine activists were killed in separate raids conducted by the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) police, in what was later dubbed as “Bloody Sunday.”

Robredo previously called the killings as a “massacre” and called for a “clean and independent” probe on the killings.

But the Philippine National Police defended the legitimacy of the operations, saying that 37 high-powered and low-powered firearms were seized from the suspects.

 JE