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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) relieved a police officer on Saturday who allegedly asked the Calbayog City Regional Court of First Instance (RTC) for a list of lawyers representing suspected members of communist groups.
In a statement, the officer in charge of the PNP, Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, said based on the initial result of his investigation, PLt. Fernando Calabria, Jr. was tasked with preparing a comprehensive report on the activities of communist groups in the city of Calbayog.
“The pressure to produce a detailed report apparently took its toll on him and ultimately led him to commit a serious policy violation,” Eleazar said.
“In light of these initial findings and in consultation with our PNP Chief, PGen. Debold M Sinas, I’ve already led the PLt relay. Calabria as Head of the Intelligence Unit of the Police Station of the city of Calbayog ”, added Eleazar.
“We are currently checking to see if there were similar actions in other areas. At the same time, we are investigating to determine up to what level of the police hierarchy is involved in this incident ”.
In its one-page letter to the Calbayog RTC, Calabria said that the Calbayog city police were making the request “in compliance with the higher offices of the PNP regarding lawyers representing the personalities of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG ) in the court”.
When pressed to confirm, the Calbayog RTC informed the Supreme Court that the Calbayog city police made such a request “but they did not take any action on it.”
Bayan Muna’s party list representative Carlos Zárate later rejected the request, saying it is a “clear and present danger to the legal profession.”
Eleazar, for his part, later apologized to members of the legal profession for “this reckless behavior.”
“Our apology comes with an assurance to the judiciary and members of the legal community that it is not and will not be the policy of the Philippine National Police to prosecute or even inflict harm on lawyers and members of the judiciary as they perform their oath duty “, He said.
/ MUF
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