Karapatan condemns police for planting evidence, staging arrest of Central Luzon activists

Human rights group Karapatan denounces the Philippine National Police’s involvement in framing four activists, highlighting the use of staged crime scenes and planted evidence in their unlawful arrest and detention.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Human rights group Karapatan denounced the planting of evidence and staging a crime scene by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to implicate four activists.

In a statement, Karapatan said that peasant activists Oliver Milo, Andres Ely and Theresa Buscayno were traveling with Desiree Jaranilla-Patuñ-og to Mexico, Pampanga when they were blocked by the police on July 29, 2024 at around 9:30 p.m. They were then told that they were on a manhunt operation based on “a tip from a trusted source.”

By 12:35 a.m. of July 30, 2024, they were arrested.

Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan, said that this case is similar to the arrest of six activists who were taken in Palawan (collectively called Palawan 6), following a tip from a police informant who, she said, was never presented in court.

Staged scene

Based on the affidavits of the arresting officers, the arrest happened at 12:35 am of July 30. However, Karapatan said witnesses confirmed that the vehicle of the four activists had already been flagged at around 10:00 pm of July 29 and a commotion happened involving a number of vehicles.

“It was during this time that Milo, Ely, Buscayno, Patuñ-og and their driver were forcibly taken out of their vehicle by the arresting officers. Ely, Milo and the driver were beaten (up) by the operatives while all of the victims were interrogated once the police had acquired complete custody of their vehicle and personal belongings,” Karapatan said.

After a few hours, Karapatan said that the four were herded back into their vehicle in handcuffs. Inside the vehicle was a police officer seated at the back portion waiting for the go-signal from the ground team leader that would prompt the other arresting officers and the videographer to alight from the police vehicles to set up a “real-time” flagging of the vehicle.

Palabay said that this is the same modus operandi employed by the police and military in the case of Palawan 6 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan in October 2019.

“The victims were arrested without warrant at a checkpoint in barangay Babuyan, Puerto Princesa. The police seized their belongings, brought them to a detachment and later loaded them aboard vehicles that brought them to another checkpoint in barangay San Jose where they were supposedly flagged down and arrested,” Palabay said. “Needless to say, the ‘crime scene’ was staged and all the evidence planted.”

Palabay said that despite the Supreme Court ruling requiring the use of body-worn cameras during police operations, “the police have always found ways to circumvent this requirement.”

In the case of four Central Luzon activists, Palabay said, “The videographer purposely delayed recording the incident to accomplish their villainous objective of staging the arrest and seizure of Milo, Ely, Buscayno and Patuñ-og.”

“Karapatan urges the court hearing the cases against the Central Luzon activists to carefully look into the incredible testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and to ultimately dismiss these cases,” Palabay said.

The trial of this case was held on Jan. 27 at the Regional Trial Court Branch 47 in San Fernando, Pampanga. (RTS, DAA)

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