PNP backs kidnapping raps vs. Karapatan lawyer in Sagay massacre

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has backed the filing of kidnapping and illegal detention charges against the lawyer of rights group Karapatan over the latter's alleged detention of a minor who is supposed to be a witness to the murder of nine farmers in Sagay, Negros Occidental last month.

PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde said it was the right move for the boy's father, Vic Pedaso, to file charges against lawyer Katherine Panguban of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) because Karapatan was “oppressing” the kid.

“Hindi tama 'yun na kukunin mo 'yung bata na hindi mo kaano-ano and curtail his liberty. We need the whereabouts of the kid,” he said.

The kid has been earlier identified by Karapatan as 14-year-old Lester.

“Kung wala 'yan sa custody ng kanyang magulang I am sure he [should be] with the DSWD,” Albayalde added.

Albayalde's claims were denied by Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Roneo Clamor, saying that it was even Karapatan and its counsel Panguban who helped Lester's mother to secure the custody of her son last October 25 from the Social Welfare office and that Lester's father witnessed this.

Clamor then accused the PNP and other forces of concocting such charges to shield paramilitary forces and private armies of landlords from liabilities.

“The charges have no legal and factual basis, have ill intentions and manufactured. It is lamentable that they have been using Mr. Pedaso to peddle and insist on lies regarding the roles of Atty. Panguban, NUPL and Karapatan in the case. The charges against Atty. Panguban are among the forms of intimidation by state forces against people’s lawyers,” Clamor said in a statement.

“Atty. Panguban properly represented Lester’s mother. There is absolutely no truth to allegations of Mr. Pedaso and the police that the mother and son are being held against their will by Atty. Panguban, NUPL and Karapatan. This incident once again exposes the vile intent of the police to go to great lengths to exploit relatives of victims and survivors and to use them for their slanted narratives,” he added.

Clamor called for the dismissal of charges against Panguban.

“The charges against Atty. Panguban should be immediately withdrawn or dropped, unless the Sagay police and their cohorts want to fall flat on their faces with the tall tales that they have been weaving,” he said. — LDF, GMA News