The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, August 5, announced that it has issued writs of amparo and habeas data in favor of four Negros-based human rights advocates who claimed they were red-tagged by military and law enforcement officials.
In G.R. No. E-05032, the High Court granted the petition of Attorney Rey A. Gorgonio, Joselito B. Macapobre, Analyn S. Mirano, and Ma. Anabelle Ilustrisimo against Lieutenant General Antonio G. Nafarrete and others.
A writ of amparo is a legal remedy that protects a person’s right to life, liberty, and security against threats or violations by state agents or private individuals. A writ of habeas data, meanwhile, allows individuals to seek the correction, deletion, or protection of personal information gathered or used unlawfully, particularly when it endangers their life, liberty, or security.
The SC also issued a temporary protection order directing the respondents not to go within one kilometer of the petitioners and their immediate family members.
The respondents were ordered to file, within 10 days from receipt of the order, a verified return containing their lawful defenses and other relevant information, along with their comment on the petition before the Court of Appeals (CA).
The High Court further directed the CA to conduct a summary hearing to determine whether the petitioners are entitled to the privileges of the writs and to decide the case within 10 days after its submission for resolution.
According to the SC, the petitioners alleged they were falsely labeled as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) because of their human rights work and involvement with Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc. (PDG), a non-government organization based in Kabankalan City that supports farmers and rural communities in Negros Island.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.