The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said that the case of John Griefen Arlegui and Reynaldo Viernes “underscores the dangerous trend of using fabricated criminal charges as a tool to suppress progressive political candidates and their supporters.”
“It appears that the illustrious brotherhood of the oldest fraternity of the University of the Philippines has been attacked by amnesia. Forget the numerous cases of ill-gotten wealth? Or the still unpaid estate taxes running into billions?” CARMMA said in a statement.
“All senators running for re-election who refuse to stand up and hold Sara Duterte accountable should be the first ones voters must remember,” urban poor leader and Makabayan senatorial bet Mimi Doringo said.
“If we do not act, then what will happen? We have had many dialogues and posted our calls in social media but I think our voice and our calls are still not heard by the government.”
“The State has failed us. The very institution that promised to serve the people is once again oppressing our family. After 15 years, our mother is once again arrested on charges she never committed. The dismissal of previous trumped up charges against her is proof that the concocted stories and lies against her are baseless and malicious.”
Human rights group Karapatan denounces the Philippine National Police’s involvement in framing four activists, highlighting the use of staged crime scenes and planted evidence in their unlawful arrest and detention.
Karapatan decried the charges, noting that there has been an increase in such cases ahead of the visit of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to the Philippines.
Several media organizations condemned the charges of financing terrorism filed against Deo Montescarlos, calling these as an attempt to stifle press freedom.
The case against the Leyte Center for Development Inc. was dismissed due to insufficient evidence to support the terrorism financing charges. The Office of the City Prosecutor in Tacloban City, in its resolution, found that the testimonies of former rebels against LCDE lacked credible proof of a conspiracy.
“Trump is expected to reward corrupt allies like Ferdinand Marcos Jr in exchange for allowing the US to conduct provocative military drills, store weapons of mass destruction, and install bases across the country. Since 2022, Marcos Jr has maliciously collaborated with his American patrons to advance the geopolitical agenda of US imperialism.”
“With Duterte’s invocation of his role as lawyer and prosecutor as some kind of authority in his recent testimony at the hearings at the House of Representatives and the Senate, we believe it is time for victims of human rights violations to speak up.”