Labor group alarmed over Calbayog police's ‘questionable’ request

A labor group on Saturday expressed alarm over the Calbayog City Police's request for a trial court to provide a list of lawyers representing alleged communists, saying the request was “highly questionable.”

In a statement, the Federation of Free Workers denounced the request as it “may lead to red-tagging that will lead to harassment or even killing of lawyers.”

“In his zealous attempt to gather information, the police might be poaching or interfering on the jurisdiction of the courts, too, blurring the lines of the separation of powers of the judicial branch and the executive branch represented by the police,” it said.

The Supreme Court said the Calbayog City Regional Trial Court received the letter that was signed by Police Lieutenant Fernando Calabria Jr. but “no action has been taken on the request.”

Calabria said in the letter that the request came from “higher” offices of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“We are sad that the request is coming from a commission officer invoking authority from the higher-ups,” the Federation of Free Workers said.

“If he will be allowed to continue doing this, he is creating hostility rather than winning the hearts and minds of the citizenry,” it added.

The group urged the PNP to send Calabria back to the police academy.

“We suggest to the PNP hierarchy that this officer or officers like him be sent back to the police academy to review the manual of law enforcement and the legal intricacies involved in it,” it said.

Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, the OIC PNP chief, earlier relieved Calabria over his request.

Meaningless sacking

However, House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Zarate said that removing Calabria from his post is “meaningless” if the PNP will not disown and denounce the terror list that he requested.

“Sacking him is useless as it is mere police euphemism for reassignment or being recycled by the PNP,” the Bayan Muna Representative said in a separate statement.

Zarate pointed out that Calabria said the order came from the PNP hierarchy, which Eleazar denied.

“[T]he buck stops with police chief Gen. Debold Sinas. He should categorically publicly disown and denounce the existence of such a policy that will only put in danger the security and lives of lawyers, even their clients, as well," he said.

The solon said the request seemed to be a “standard template” and urged those who have encountered “apparent hitlist-making activities of the PNP and AFP” to report to the media and other groups.

Bayan Muna chairman Neri Colmenares, meanwhile, demanded PNP chief Police General Debold Sinas reveal the name and fire the officers who ordered the request.

“Di naman pwedeng yung lieutenant lang ang isakripisyo nyo. Paano na yung nag utos sa kanya? Dapat masibak din yon kasi yon ang nag utos at sumunod naman si Lt. Calabria” she said.

(It’s not right that only the lieutenant will be sacrificed. What about those who gave him the order? They should also be removed from their posts because of the order, which Lieutenant Calabria only followed.)

Colmenares said the incident should serve as a warning to “all subordinates implementing illegal orders from their generals.”

“Iiwanan kayo nila pag malagay sila sa alanganin,” he said.

(They will abandon you once they are in a precarious position.)

“Just like Gen. Palparan who is now rotting in jail after he was abandoned by his superiors after Gloria Arroyo was imprisoned, this will also happen when Pres. Duterte is gone in 2022,” she added.

Colmenares demanded accountability from those who supposedly ordered Calabria.

“Unfair and unjust lang kung tenyente lang na sumunod sa utos ang paparusahan pero ang nagutos sa kanya, ni hindi man lang banggiting ang pangalan,” she said.

(It is unfair and unjust if only the lieutenant who followed the order will be punished, but those who gave the order will remain unknown.)

Colmenares’ request was echoed by Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative France Castro, who also called for the PNP to reveal who ordered the list.

“Hinahamon namin ang PNP at administrasyon na kasuhan si Calabria at huwag siyang irecycle sa anumang bagong posisyon at kapasidad. Hinahamon namin ang PNP na maging tapat sa mamamayan,” she said in a separate statement.

(We challenge the PNP and the administration to charge Calabria and not recycle him into a new position. We challenge the PNP to be truthful to the public.)

Castro also urged the PNP to issue a public apology.

“Maglabas dapat ang PNP ng public apology sa ginawa ng PNP na paniniktik laban sa mga abugado, guro, kawani ng gubyerno, estudyanteng Moro, at iba pa,” she said, adding that the agency should stop doing such acts.

(The PNP should issue a public apology for spying against lawyers, teachers, officials of the government, Moro students, and others.)

“Our calls for the Supreme Court remain, namely, to call out the PNP and the NTF ELCAC for this dastardly act, and to issue a TRO against the apparent basis of this order in Calbayog, the anti-terror law,” she added.

Meanwhile, detained Senator Leila De Lima said it was time for President Rodrigo Duterte to be responsible for the actions of state security forces as he had previously said he would.

“Duterte has repeatedly said that he will take responsibility for the actions of his men, that he will go to jail for them,” De Lima said in a separate statement.

“Yesterday was the time that he made good on this promise. But now is also acceptable. Lock yourself up, Mr. Duterte, and rot, she added.

The senator said that the past few years showed that state forces under the administration have eliminated the peaceful surrender of individuals they have marked as enemies.

“After killing activists and, recently, even Calbayog Mayor Ronald Aquino himself, the police want to train their guns on the lawyers who are only doing their duties as advocates for their clients,” she said.

“How can Duterte and his administration disown the murderous actions by the police when he himself made it a policy to establish a culture of wanton and unjust violence,” she added.

The Police Regional Office 4A the police organization is being made to account for the legitimacy of its operations after nine activists were killed and six others were arrested in simultaneous police operations in Calabarzon.

Senators have also called for an investigation in the series of raids in the offices and homes of activists in Calabarzon over the weekend. — DVM, GMA News