KARAPATAN slammed what it called the government’s hypocrisy on the implementation of Republic Act No. 7438 or An Act Defining Certain Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained or under Custodial Investigation as well as the Duties of the Arresting, Detaining and Investigating Officers, and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof.
“At the recently held Senate investigation on the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, the government officials present, from Sen. Imee Marcos to former detainee Sen. Jinggoy Estrada kept on invoking RA 7438,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay. They said that the arresting officers’ refusal to allow Sara Duterte to see her father during his arrest violated this law. RA 7438 guarantees detainees the right to be visited by their immediate family and by their lawyers, doctors, spiritual advisers and by human rights organizations.
“And yet,” she added, “when it comes to arrested activists and ordinary people, these same groups and persons are often denied access to them.” Palabay cited the case of a volunteer doctor with the Health Action for Human Rights, who was barred from seeing Reynaldo Remias and John Grifen Arlegui, urban poor activists who were arrested while putting up posters for Atty. Neri Colmenares, who was a senatorial candidate in the 2019 mid-year elections.
She also cited the case of lawyers from the National Union of People’s Lawyers who were denied access to indigenous rights activists Mary Joyce Lizada and Arnulfo Aumentado, who were detained at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal even if the lawyers were accompanied by Lizada’s mother.
Paralegals and even family members are also reportedly finding it difficult to access retired NDFP consultant Ruben Saluta and his wife Presentacion who are both detained at the General Santos City Jail.
“These officials are suddenly so concerned about the rights of detainees, just because the detainee happens to be Rodrigo Duterte,” said Palabay, “We find their hypocritical stance disgusting.”