House probe eyed on Calbayog police’s ‘alarming’ request for list of lawyers

Plenary Hall of the House of Representatives.. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives should look into the request of a police office in Calbayog City for the list of lawyers representing alleged “Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) personalities in Court,” Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said Monday.

Rodriguez said he will file a resolution seeking an inquiry regarding the request of PLt. Fernando Calabria, Jr., who previously served as chief of the Intelligence Unit of the Calbayog City police station.

The House leader, who is also a lawyer, said such requests are “improper, alarming, and violates the duty of lawyers to render legal service to any person needing it.”

“Lt. Calabria claimed that he was just following an order from ‘higher-ups.’

“Who in the hierarchy of the PNP gave such directive? Why was the order issued? What was their goal?” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the House should find out if a similar request has been made by any police officer from any other court in other parts of the country, adding that any judge who has received a similar legally questionable solicitation should report it to the Supreme Court.

According to Rodriguez, the targeted lawyers did nothing wrong in defending suspected communists.

“They have a constitutional duty to defend those suspects, who in the first place did not violate the law by just being communists, unless they committed other offenses,” he added.

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) spokesperson Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia earlier said the move of PLt. Fernando Calabria, Jr. to request for the list of lawyers “is unbecoming of a police officer” and “transcends all legal and statutory basis.”

PNP officer in charge Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, meanwhile, earlier announced that Calabria had been relieved from his post. 

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