“The judge did not even bother to check if there was probable cause and if the accused are informed about the case,” said Pastores.

“There is not an iota of evidence to grant the amended information and issue warrants of arrest against the accused,” said Pastores.

Political persecution

Pastores said they are confident that the charges would be dismissed if the merits of the case would be taken into consideration.

However, if this is another case of political persecution, Pastores said, there would be no respect for the rule of law and no respect for due process.

Maricel, wife of Saladero, said she believes the charges against his husband are politically-motivated.

Maricel Saladero wife of Remigio Saladero . (Photo by RONALYN V. OLEA)

“My husband has chosen to serve the workers; this is the reason why he is implicated in these cases.”

Saladero, along 26 others, was also charged with arson, conspiracy to commit rebellion and destruction of property in connection with the burning down of a Globe cell site in Lemery, Batangas.

“We will exhaust all the possible remedies available to us and [at the same time], expose the filing of fabricated charges as part of the government’s counter-insurgency campaign,” said Pastores. “This is a threat to civil liberties, especially against the vocal critics of the government.

Maricel said, “This is not only against the 72 accused, this is against the Filipino people in general. If they want to file fabricated charges against anyone, they could do so.”

Glendhyl Malabanan, spokesperson of Karapatan-Southern Tagalog said most of the accused are regional and provincial leaders and members of organizations allied with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-New Patriotic Alliance)-Southern Tagalog.

In a video, Arman Albarillo, secretary general of Bayan-ST and one of the accused, said he was surprised to know about the charges filed against them.

Albarillo was among the complainants to the latest impeachment case filed against Mrs. Gloria Macpagal-Arroyo. Both his parents were victims of extrajudicial killings in 2002.

Albarillo said, “The objective is to silence and to threaten leaders of people’s organizations.”

He said further, “After the government failed to silence the people in Southern Tagalog through extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, it now resorts to filing of trumped-up criminal charges.”

Not new

Pastores said the filing of false charges against activists is not new.

She recalled the rebellion charges against the Batasan 6, party list representatives of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) and the murder charges filed against Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, Raffy Baylosis and Randall Echanis in connection with an alleged mass grave in Hilongos, Leyte.

Eleanor de Guzman of Bayan said the tactic of producing false witnesses giving false testimonies for false charges is the handiwork of Inter-Agency Legal Action Group (IALAG).

De Guzman added that the case against the 72 activists in Southern Tagalog could be a pilot project. “Later, they could do the same in other regions.”

Appeal

Albarillo called on the Filipino people to frustrate Arroyo’s ‘evil plans.’

He said that Arroyo is the one who should be held accountable for her ‘crimes against the people.’

“We are not at all cowed by these threats…We know we are on the right side. The Filipino people will continue to fight this oppressive regime,” said Albarillo.(Bulatlat.com)

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