MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday junked the petition filed by the group of Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate against President Benigno Aquino III for lack of merit.
"The court dismissed the petition for the writs of amparo and habeas data for lack of merit," said SC Information Office Chief and Spokesman Theodore Te in a televised press briefing on Wednesday.
"The court found no basis to issue the two writs prayed for," he added.
The petitioners submitted the petitions in claiming that they were included by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in a "rogues gallery" of photographs presented to the complainants of kidnapping and trafficking of persons filed by certain members of the Lumad community.
The group of Zarate said their inclusion in the supposed "rogues gallery" suggests that they have been the subject of state surveillance in violation of their rights, as protected by the writ of amparo.