More Than the Alabang Boys: Courts, DOJ Become Instruments of Injustice for Activists

Gabriela Women's Party Representative Liza Maza today said the spate of fabricated cases filed against activists and leaders of progressive organizations and partylists are proof of how Department of Justice and the lower courts have long become the Inter Agency Legal Action Group's (IALAG) dirty tricks department.

In a privilege speech today, the lawmaker called the attention of colleagues in Congress on the spate of fabricated murder charges filed against 72 activists in Southern Tagalog as well as several others in Cebu and Negros.

"No different from the fabricated cases of murder and kidnappping that has been lodged against myself and my fellow representatives from Bayan Muna and Anakpawis, these are all clear attempts to discredit, silence and cripple militant and progressive organizations and partylist groups. It is an orchestrated move of political persecution," said Maza.

Maza specifically stated in the speech, the fabricated cases of arson, conspiracy to commit rebellion, multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder filed against Gabriela Women's Party 5th Nominee and Gabriela Southern Tagalog Secretary General Helen Asdolo, Gabriela Women's Party provincial coordinator for Cavite, Amy Sto. Tomas and 70 others from Southern Tagalog. They have been accused of participating in a raid conducted by the NPA in March 3, 2006 in Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental.

In Negros, Gabriela staff and volunteer Mary Grace Delicano, was illegaly arrested for her alleged participation in a raid conducted by the New People's Army in Bgy. Malasibog, Escalante City in 2006. Similarly, Emilia and Marycris Quirante have been arrested after a .38 caliber pistol was purportedly found in an unspecified are of their home in Bgy. Trinidad in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.

Meanwhile, Preciosa Daño, provincial coordinator of the progressive BAYAN Muna party-list, Paz Silva, Advocacy Officer of KARAPATAN-Central Visayas and Cris Muñoz herself an NGO worker and a colleague of co-accused human rights advocate Dr. Oliver Jimenez were all named respondents, in a murder case filed by the Armed Force of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice.

The Gabriela solon called on Congress to pursue further its investigation, led by the Committee on Human Rights, on Oplan Bantay Laya and to expand its probe not just on the extra judicial killings, disappearances and cases of torture, but on the role that our courts have been made to play in the presecution of activists and members of militant organizations.