MANILA, Philippines - The payment by the Armed Forces of the Philippines of reward money to supposed informers allegedly responsible for the capture of what it referred to as "terrorist personalities and communist leaders" is ludicrous as it is dangerous, a group of rights lawyers said Wednesday.
The National Union of People's Lawyers said the reward was paid pursuant to Department of National Defense and Department of Interior and Local Government Joint Order No. 14-2012 which updated the AFP’s bounty list.
Earlier, the NUPL questioned the propriety and legality of the joint order, saying it violates the basic principles of fairness and due process.
"The payment - - or some observers say the division of the spoils or loot?- - is further put into doubt in the light of nagging questions as regards the identities of those they paraded as alleged 'communist leaders'," NUPL secretary general Edre Olalia said.
Olalia cited the case of security guard Rolly Panesa who was tagged by the military as being Danilo Benjamin Mendoza, an alleged high ranking member of the Communist Party of the Philippines in Southern Tagalog with a P5.6 million bounty.
He said that Panesa was abducted in Quezon City and now still detained for 10 months.
"The AFP chose to shamelessly rely on the perjured statements of their own professional... witnesses, and deliberately ignored the overwhelming testimonial and multiple documentary evidence," Olalia said.
He also cited the case of Oligario Sebas, of Negros Oriental, who was abducted and detained based on the AFP claim that he is “Felimon Mendrez†an alleged high-ranking member of the CPP in Negros with a P5.2-million bounty.
Sebas, unlike Panesa, was subsequently released through a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus where it was quickly established that he is not “Felimon Mendrezâ€, Olalia added.
"Their cases confirmed NUPL’s fear that the list will only be used to harass political activists, leaders of peoples organizations and even ordinary citizens who have the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and who can be exploited as unwitting sources of huge incomes," he said.