"The filing of trumped up criminal charges poses a serious threat to the liberties of the Filipino people," Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said on the arrest of Lito Lao, a peasant leader in Southern Mindanao. Lao was arrested on October 7 at the ABC Hall in Kapalong, Davao del Norte while facilitating a dialogue between farmers and a land grabber in the area.
"The filing of trumped up criminal charges poses a serious threat to the liberties of the Filipino people," Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said on the arrest of Lito Lao, a peasant leader in Southern Mindanao. Lao was arrested on October 7 at the ABC Hall in Kapalong, Davao del Norte while facilitating a dialogue between farmers and a land grabber in the area.
Lao faces fabricated charges of qualified theft. He was arrested through a warrant of arrest on the case filed against him and 12 other farmer-activists by a landlord, Ms. Vivien Jubac, in 2012.
According to a news report on DavaoToday, the case started when conflict between Jubac and tenant Arnando Diones arose. Lao, along with other co-accused in the case, were those who helped Diones keep his land. Jubac’s 52-hectare land was subject for land distribution under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) but the family found a way to keep the land. Diones, instead of receiving his part of the land and cash share, was evicted by Jubac with the backing of the police and the members of the 28th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA). The family also demolished Diones’s house, destroyed his hut and fenced off a 10-has. farm which was up for distribution. Also, with the help of the military, the Jubacs were able to harvest 40 sacks of rice from the field that Diones worked on.
Lao, who helped in the appraisal of Diones’s crops, did not know how he ended up in the list of those in the warrant of arrest. Jubac first filed cases of grave coercion, grave threat and theft against Diones. All the cases however were dismissed. Later, she filed new charges against Diones that included Lao and 11 others.
In Central Luzon, Lourdes Quioc, 68, and Reynaldo Ingal, 66, were arrested on October 1 in Tenejero, San Antonio, Pampanga using a warrant of arrest for alleged NPA leaders “Eugenia Magpantay” and “Agaton Topacio”.
"This is another case of “mistaken identity” where the AFP and the police earn millions. Said top NPA leaders had a total of Php 10.6 million bounties under the reward system put up by the Department of Defense and the Department of Interior and Local Government," Palabay said.
Ingal and Quioc are detained in Bulacan Provincial Jail. "This is no different from the case of security guard Rolly Panesa, Olegario Sevas, and Eduardo Esteban who were arrested using warrants of arrest with names of supposed high-ranking CPP-NPA officials with reward money. Such a desperate act, if not an entirely money-making venture of the AFP and the police," Palabay cited.
"Kahit sino na lang hinuhuli nitong pamahalaan ni Aquino at kahit anong kaso ang isinasampa! Katawa-tawa man ang gobyernong ito, nakakagalit pa rin! (The Aquino government is arresting anybody and everybody using trumped up charges. It’s both ridiculous and infuriating!)" Palabay said.
There are currently 504 political prisoners in the country, all facing false criminal charges. Of the 504, 53 are sickly, 42 are elderly and seven are minors.