Charges vs arrested school principal in Northern Samar 'fabricated,' groups say

MANILA, Philippines — Groups within the education sector have called for the release of a public school principal in Northern Samar, over what they said was based on trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Provincial police said the 55-year-old Nestor Ada was arrested on January 28 from a search warrant, where allegedly, firearms including four live ammunition and a hand grenade were recovered.

He has since been charged and is currently at a custodial facility of the Northern Samar police, per a release by authorities.

The group Alliance for Concerned Teachers, which Ada is a member of, said the arrest took place at the sleeping quarters of the Rosario National High School at past 12 midnight. Before he was nabbed, Ada had said too that that he had been subject to police surveillance in 2020.

"Everyone who knows him cannot but think that the charges against him are fabricated," said Raymond Basilio, ACT secretary general. "This is clearly meant to harass our members and send teachers the chilling message of what can happen to them if they dare fight for their rights."

A known unionist, ACT said Ada joins its list of leaders, members and ordinary teachers slapped with charges "for their union work or simply airing out their criticisms against the government."

Rep. France Castro (ACT) also urged for Ada's immediate release and dropping of charges, hitting the continuing red-tagging or linking of critics as having ties to the armed communist movement, a trend that had seen a significant rise in the previous years, especially led by some military officials and those in the government's anti-communist task force.

"Members of the ACT have been targets of government profiling, terrorist tagging and harassment," said Castro in a statement. "Those who opposed the anti-people policies of the Duterte administration are tagged as terrorists, and arrested on absurd trumped-up charges."

Illegal possession of firearms is the same charge hurled against other arrested activists, such as Reina Mae Nasino in 2019, and Amanda Echanis just last year.

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Incidents of red-tagging, which often resulted in those linked to the CPP-NPA as facing treats or worse, killed, have also exacerbated with the controversial anti-terror law, which faces multiple petitions before the Supreme Court to strike down as unconstitutional.

RELATED: Oral arguments on anti-terrorism law to proceed on February 2

"Instead of these attacks, the least the state could do is to divert and focus their attention on supporting our public school teachers and employees who are at the forefront of this anti-poor implementation of remote learning by providing their long-overdue benefits," said the group Rise for Education Alliance of the University of the Philippines' College of Education.

The education department has yet to issue a statement on Ada's arrest when sought for comment. But the ACT is urging the agency to "once and for all uphold the objectives of education and stand for what is right and just."

"Your own employees are now being victimized by the Duterte administration's senseless war," Basilio said. "Can you take it in your conscience to remain silent and be auxillary to this injustice?"