Palace tells NAPC chief Liza Maza to surrender

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday urged National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) chair Liza Maza to surrender and face the murder charges against her and prove her innocence.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Maza, one of four former lawmakers tagged in the killing of three people in Nueva Ecija, should lead by example and adhere to the rule of law as a Cabinet member.

“She has to respect the rule of law. I asked her to surrender, face the charges against her, prove her innocence and I’m sure that she has no reason to worry about the fact that our courts can be relied upon for an impartial decision,” Roque said at a press briefing. 

“If they are innocent, then they should in fact surrender, recognize the jurisdiction of the court and prove their innocence in court. That is what we expect from everyone,” he added. 

Earlier, a Nueva Ecija court ordered the arrest of Maza, former agrarian reform secretary Rafael Mariano and former Bayan Muna party-list representatives Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño for the killing of three supporters of Akbayan party-list.

Judge Evelyn Atienza-Turla of the regional trial court (RTC) Branch 40 issued last July 11 the warrants of arrest against the four accused.

The warrants were issued in relation to the murders of farmers Danilo Felipe, Carlo Bayudang and Jimmy Peralta in 2001 and 2004, respectively.

Akbayan is a rival of leftist groups Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis. Maza is a former representative of Gabriela while Mariano used to represent Anakpawis at the House of Representatives.

Supporters of the former lawmakers claimed that the murder charges were trumped up and claimed that the arrest order is part of “political persecution.” 

Roque said while Maza has not been fired, she would become a fugitive if she does not surrender.  

“If she goes on AWOL, absence without leave, then the President will have to decide on her continuing appointment if need be because she cannot be absent. Her office is very critical to the fight against poverty and we cannot have a secretary who is a fugitive from the law,” the presidential spokesman said. 

“She has to heed the warrant of arrest, not even the President can interfere in our judicial process.”

Roque said he does not know if Maza is still reporting for duty. He said he has not seen the NAPC chief attend Cabinet meetings since he joined the administration last October.  

“But I do not know if in the past the NAPC office chief attends Cabinet meetings,” he said. 

When asked if Maza still enjoys President Duterte’s trust and confidence, Roque replied: “As I said, unless the President fires her, the presumption is there. But we’ll find out soon enough.”

Roque could not say whether the Palace is in the position to give Maza legal assistance because she has the right to choose her counsel. 

“She (has) not asked for assistance. And of course, this is a legal problem so this is something that she has to decide for herself,” he added. 

Pressed on what the administration would do if Maza asks for legal assistance, Roque replied: “Then we’ll see what we can do.”

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s social arm yesterday branded as harassment the arrest warrant issued against Maza, Mariano, Ocampo and Casiño.

CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez doubted the accusations being hurled against Maza, Mariano, Ocampo and Casiño.

“Arrest warrants issued based on trumped up charges for activists and militants are common strategy of the military and the government to harass and silence opposition. This is a deplorable tactic adopted from martial law,” said Gariguez.

“We support the causes of Ka Paeng (Mariano) et al. We demand the stop of tyranny and harassment against progressive groups,” he added.  With Evelyn Macairan