SC to tackle plea to address lawyers’ killings, red-tagging next week – Peralta

MANILA, Philippines—Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta announced on Friday that the Supreme Court would discuss next week the request of over 800 law professors and lawyers for the Supreme Court to investigate the killings of members of the legal profession as well as issues concerning search warrants.

“Let that petition be raffled [off] and let us see what would be the recommendation of the member in charge because that’s what we do…Let’s [wait and] see what happens next Tuesday,” Peralta told reporters during the groundbreaking of New Caloocan City Judicial Building.

In that same plea with attached letter from UP Law Dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II also called on the Supreme Court to act on the profiling by law enforcement officers of lawyers serving representatives of communist groups.

Vistan said aside from investigating and coordinating with offices in the executive branch, the high court should protect lawyers from harassment and red-tagging, and even attacks.

READ: UP College of Law asks SC: Address, probe police request for list of leftists’ lawyers

With regard to search warrants, Peralta said “that will be taken up on Tuesday.”

However, he cannot give specifics on the kind of discussion on where the issue of search warrants would go.

Peralta said, for now, they will have to wait until a return of the warrant is submitted in court.

“It would depend on what is contained in the return of the search warrant. If there’s something wrong in the return of the search warrant, the court may require further explanation [from the police],” Peralta said.

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