[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday (December 18) expressed her full support for the judge who is now under fire from the leftist Makabayan bloc in Congress for issuing court orders that led to the arrest of activists who had been accused of having ties to communist rebels.
In a statement, Lorenzana described the accusations against Quezon City judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert by the Makabayan bloc as “unfounded”.
“We firmly believe that a judge of the caliber of the Honorable Villavert does not issue orders without probable cause,” he said.
Makabayan alleged that it was Burgos-Villavert who allowed the raids on different offices of activist groups in Manila and Bacolod in 2019.
She was also accused of issuing “questionable” search warrants that led to the arrest of seven people, including journalist Lady Ann Salem, on December 10, coinciding with International Human Rights Day.
In a resolution in the House of Representatives, the Makabayan bloc said that Villavert appeared to be “favored” by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as a source of “multiple search warrants based on fabricated facts.”
These orders, Makabayan said, “specifically target human rights defenders, labor and community organizers and other critics of the government.”
Lorenzana said the Makabayan bloc “is challenging not only the character and integrity of Judge Villavert, but also the entire justice system of the nation.”
He said that the Makabayan bloc’s accusation against Villavert “only confirmed” that the members of the groups on the party list that belong to the bloc were fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
The undersecretary of Defense Rey Mapagu, chairman of Task Force Balik-Loob, also condemned the “malicious” accusations of the Makabayan bloc against Villavert. Task Force Balik Loob was formed to oversee the surrender of the communist rebels who, according to the rebel leaders, only produced fake rebels.
Mapagu, in a separate statement, said the Makabayan bloc was “clearly overstepping its (sic) boundaries as part of the legislative branch” by submitting the resolution against Villavert under the guise of “an investigation in aid of the legislation.”
TSB
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
