Makabayan bloc asks House to condemn profiling of Mindanao-based lawyer
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc have filed a resolution asking the House of Representatives to condemn the police’s alleged profiling of a lawyer in Mindanao, who was providing legal assistance to a client accused of being a communist rebel.
In a statement on Monday, Makabayan bloc member and Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. France Castro said that they filed House Resolution (HR) No. 917 to stop the police from profiling the lawyer who was only doing her mandate to help their clients, regardless of standing in life.
“The lawyers are just doing their jobs to defend their clients whoever they are because everyone has a right to a fair trial. The police on the other hand has no right to profile, harass or intimidate lawyers,” Castro said.
“Kaya lalong sumasama ang imahe ng mga pulis dahil na din sa kagagawan nila e mula sa profiling at harassment ng mga abugado, hanggang sa pagpupuslit ng bilyong halaga ng droga at ang extra-judicial killings ay sangkot sila. Marapat na maimbestigahan lahat ito at mapanagot ang lahat ng dapat managot,” she added.
(That is why the police’s image is being tarnished because of their own doing, some of the officers are tied to profiling and harassing lawyers, up to stashing billions-worth of illegal drugs, and extrajudicial killings. This only merits an investigation, and people should be held accountable.)
It could be remembered that last April 6, several lawyers from Mindanao signed a joint statement condemning the Philippine National Police (PNP) after the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (PPO) supposedly instructed the Lianga Municipal Police Station to profile the lawyer.
The memo referred to a comment during a meeting with the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) that “some legal personalities handling the cases of CTGs were repeatedly providing them assistance with regards to their criminal cases.”
CTG refers to a communist terrorist group, often designated to communist armed groups waging a civil war in the countryside.
READ: Mindanao-based lawyers call out PNP for ‘profiling’ counsel of suspected rebel
PNP has denied the existence of such a directive. Police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the provincial police director of Surigao del Sur PPO — Col. Dennis A. Siruno, whose signature is present in the memorandum — denied issuing the order.
“As per PD, wala po siya ini-issue na ganyan memo, we will investigate this matter [he has not issued any memo],” Fajardo said.
READ: PNP didn’t order to profile counsel of suspected rebel, says spokesperson
According to Makabayan lawmakers — to include lawmakers Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel — profiling is an “undue interference” on the role of lawyers, which is to provide legal assistance to their clients.
“This illegal practice of profiling of legal personalities is not only an undue interference and grave assault on the independence and role of our lawyers, it is a mockery of our judicial system, and a threat to the people and the Philippine democracy,” Makabayan said in HR No. 917.
“As profiling and red-tagging often come with other rights violations such as illegal arrest and detention, trumped-up charges, and even extrajudicial killings, this act of the PNP poses grave dangers to the lives and safety of lawyers and the other human rights defenders with whom they work,” he added.
During the 18th Congress, the bloc has also filed several resolutions urging the House to condemn and investigate the PNP’s profiling of lawyers, the red-tagging of activist and human rights defenders, profiling of teachers, and other alleged oppressive incidents. With reports from Aliah Gumasing, INQUIRER.net trainee
