4 lawmakers seek protection vs AFP, PNP threats

MANILA, Philippines - Four militant lawmakers have sought relief from the Supreme Court (SC) against threats against them and fellow leaders of progressive groups, allegedly from the police and military.

In a 36-page petition for writ of amparo filed yesterday, party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna and Emmie de Jesus of Gabriela and former congressmen Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis and Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna asked the high court to issue a temporary protection order against alleged threats posed by government authorities on them and their families.

They also asked the SC to issue a writ of habeas data requiring the Armed Forces of the Philippines to disclose information gathered from the petitioners, who are supposedly included in a “hit list” after helping some 700 lumads or members of indigenous tribes who fled their villages and schools in Davao del Norte.

The four petitioners were earlier charged with kidnapping, serious illegal detention and trafficking after they were accused by North Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco of “manipulating” and “trafficking” the lumads.

They claimed that the criminal charges were “clearly manufactured and meant to distort the truth behind the Manobos’ terrible ordeal and disparage human rights and humanitarian workers who came to their aid.”

The petitioners alleged that the supposed hit list was appended to a criminal complaint filed by the police and military.

“This is an indication that the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) was provided with dossiers of the petitioners and the other individuals included in the lists. Obviously, such dossiers came from other sources, since the individuals whose names appear in the lists, including the petitioners, are not fugitives from justice, and that the conduct of counterinsurgency operations is not a function of the CIDG,” the petitioners said.

The four petitioners urged the high court to compel the military and police to release the information gathered against them and destroy it.