Philippines: Kidnapping raps filed vs Karapatan over custody of Sagay massacre child witness
Event- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Nov 5, 2018
- Event Description
The Sagay City Police have filed kidnapping charges against human rights group Karapatan for taking custody of the 14-year-old witness in the massacre of nine farmers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental. Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said on Monday that the group violated the law by taking custody of the minor who is not their relative. "According to the report of the DO (Directorate for Operations), meron nang fi-nile na kaso na kidnapping doon sa members ng Karapatan doon," he said in a press briefing. (According to the report of the DO, kidnapping cases have been filed against members of Karapatan in that area.) "Hindi tama iyon na kukunin mo iyong bata na hindi mo kaano-ano and then suppress him and then curtail his liberty for that matter," he said. (It's not right that you take custody of a child who is not your relative and then you will suppress him and curtail his liberty for that matter.) Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, director of the PNP in Western Visayas, said the police filed the charges last week at the request of the minor's father. The minor is being considered as the key witness in the killing of nine sugarcane workers in Sagay City on October 20. The PNP has earlier filed multiple murder cases against suspects who recruited the nine farmers to join the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW). The police earlier said that the group is a legal front of the New People's Army. The NFSW has denied this claim. Regional women's rights group Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development has condemned the filing of kidnapping and illegal detention charges against lawyer Katherine Panguban and is calling for them to be dropped. "APWLD demands that the politically motivated charges against Ms. Panguban to be dropped immediately and for the murders of Benjamin Ramos and the nine farmers to be independently investigated," they said in the statement. Police officials said earlier this month that they support the filing of charges. "It's not right to get the kid if you're not related and curtail his liberty," Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde was quoted in a GMA News Online report on November 5. "We need the whereabouts of the kid," he added. But APWLD and other human rights groups denied that Panguban was the one who took custody of the child and was only representing Flordeliza Cabahug, the child's mother. APWLD pointed out that a criminal complaint was filed despite the fact that it was the "mother and recognized parent who sought assistance from NUPL and human rights organization Karapatan." They added that regaining custody over the minor was done considering Lester's "manifested choice to be with his mother over his estranged father, officially done in the presence of the head of CSWD Sagay (City Social Welfare and Development Office); properly documented; one that was acknoweldged and signed by Lester's parents." The groups insisted that Panguban represented the the mother with consent and "had signed agreements with NUPL and Karapatan." The child's mother ackonwledged and had the documents notarized in Manila, it also said. Panguban was also the counsel of Catholic nun Patricia Fox, who had her missionary visa revoked last month and left the Philippines on November 3, after the administration of Rodrigo Duterte had her investigated for allegedly taking part in political activities.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- NGO
- NGO staff
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Summary for Publications
On November 5 2018, Katherine Panguban, head of the National Union of People's Lawyers Women and Children's Committee, recieved charges for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.