The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has filed perjury charges against 10 other officials of organizations with long-standing links to the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army.
In a two-page resolution dated Feb. 24, City Prosecutor Vimar Marcellano found “probable cause to indict” Cristina Palabay, Roneo Clamor, Gabriela Krista Dalena, Edita Burgos, Jose Mari Callueng, 1Wilfredo Ruazol, Elisa Tita Lubi, Emma Cupin, Gertrudes Ranjo Libang and Joan May Salvador.
The respondents named in the complaint filed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. are officials of Gabriela, Karapatan and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines who allegedly lied under oath in the petition for writ of amparo and habeas corpus filed against the government, before the Court of Appeals.
The petition for writ of amparo was subsequently dismissed by the appellate court in June last year.
“The issues upon which the charges are built pertain to factual matters that cannot be threshed out conclusively during the preliminary stage of the case. Precisely, there is a trial for the presentation of prosecution’s evidence in support of the charge,” Marcellano said in his order.
A bail of P18,000 for each of the respondents was recommended for their temporary liberty.
Meanwhile, the complaint filed against another respondent Reylan P. Vergara was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
The resolution granted a motion for reconsideration filed by Esperon of another prosecutor’s ruling late last year to charge only one individual, Elenita Belardo, national coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines.
During her arraignment last month, Belardo pleaded not guilty to the charge before Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 37 Judge Aimee Marie Alcera.
In an information dated Nov. 8, 2019, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor
Nilo Peñaflor ordered the filing of the charges against Belardo.
Peñaflor said Belardo “knowingly made untruthful statements under oath” when she said the RMP is a “duly registered non-stock, non-profit organization.”
“[I]n fact the accused very well knew that said allegations were false and untruthful as the certificate of registration of RMP was already revoked effective September 29,2003. At best, the aforesaid defense of good faith is purely evidentiary which may be threshed out in a full-blown trial,” he added.
Esperon alleged that the RMP collected donations from international organizations to run 55 Salugpungan Ta’tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center Inc. (Salugpungan) whose operations were earlier ordered suspended by the Department of Education.
Citing reports of the military and police on the ground and the testimonies of the Mindanao Indigenous People’s Counsel elders and leaders, Esperon said there was an unmistakable pattern of training anti-government armed rebels by these schools.
Esperon, for instance, said these schools have a different “national” anthem which they teach to students. Students are also taught assembly and disassembly of firearms and learn the alphabets with different anti-government slogans starting with “A for armas [weapon].”
Esperon said the schools do not issue credentials to students which would allow their wards to take further studies in government recognized schools.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, former Anakpawis Party-list Former Rep. Ariel Casilao on Tuesday urged the public to condemn the issuance of a warrant of arrest against several members of the militant organizations charged for perjury.
Those charged include Rural Missionaries of the Philippines national coordinator Emma Cupin, Karapatan officers Elisa Tita Lubi, Cristina Palabay, Edita Burgos, Gabriela Krista Dalena, Roneo Clamor, Jose Mari Callueng and Wilfredo Ruazol.
Also included in the perjury charge were Gabriela officers Joan May Salvador and Gertrudes Libang.
Joining the mobilization in front of the QC Hall of Justice and later at the House of the Representatives against the proposed bills amending the Human Security Act, the former solon assailed the continuing attacks against progressive organization, rights advocates, and critics of the Duterte government.
City Prosecutor Vimar Barcellano overturned Quezon City Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Nilo Peñaflor’s resolution in November 2019 dismissing the original complaint against the 11 rights defenders.
Barcellano granted the appeal of the complainant, National Security Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
“It is enraging that the court issued a warrant of arrest against the progressive leaders. Clearly, just like other cases of trumped up-charges against members of progressive organizations, Duterte and his minions including Esperon, weaponized the court to their advantage in the unjust persecution of progressives,” Casilao added.
The Anakpawis leader said that the unjust persecution of Sr. Emma Cupin together with the leaders of Karapatan and Gabriela is part of the vile grand scheme of this regime to curtail the people’s rights.
The former Anakpawis representative blamed EO 70 and other Marcosian-like methods in coming after members of the progressive movement, critics, and the opposition.
He said that human rights violations will further escalate as both House chambers are railroading the passage of the Anti-Terror Act of 2020 which will worsen the existing Human Security Act.
“Under this bill, anyone can be tagged as terrorist. We can reasonably expect that this measure will be used against activists and critics. The bill defines terrorism as engaging in the following acts with the purpose of inciting fear and seriously destabilizing structures in the country, among others: causing death or serious bodily injuries to any persons, or endangers a person’s life; causing extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place, or private property; causing extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure,” Casilao said.
He also said that “the implementation of EO 70 and the railroading of Anti-Terror Act of 2020 will result to the quelling of legitimate dissent. These will also result to surveillance, wire-tapping and other unlawful practices that will be legalized under the proposed draconian measure. This will be on top of persisting extra-judicial killings under Duterte’s fake war on drugs and anti-insurgency campaign that victimizes mostly poor people.
“The Duterte regime is using such measures in an attempt to silence mass activists, critics, opposition and even the ordinary masses of peasants, workers, urban poor, small fisherfolks, indigenous people and other rural poor who also suffer due to Duterte’s anti-people socio-economic policies,” Casilao said.