Deputy Speaker and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman condemned on Sunday the warrantless arrests of two Muslim traders in San Andres, Manila and the alleged illegal search on their residence that took place without a court order.
The questionable police operation occurred on Friday, Independence Day, and in the backdrop of the potential signing of the Anti-Terrorism Law makes it quite ironic, he said.
Hataman expressed dismay over the way the police handled the alleged operation against Saadudin Alawiya and Abdullah Maute, whom elements of the Manila Police District (MPD) has tagged as drug suspects.
“Hindi pa nga nagiging batas ang Anti-Terrorism Bill, may narinig na naman tayo na mga kwento ng pang-aabuso ng mga pulis sa mga kapatid nating Muslim. Pano pa kaya pag naging ligal na ang warrantless arrest sa ilalim ng panukalang ito? Ano na ang proteksyon ng mga Moro at iba pang Pilipino mula sa pang-aabuso?,” he asked.
Perhaps the most contentious provision in proposed the anti-terror law is the power of police to conduct warrantless arrests and detention of up to 24 days. The bill is up for President Duterte’s signature.
Tension rose in the suspects’ residence in the afternoon of June 12 when anti-drugs agents of the MPD allegedly stormed their house without identifying themselves, conducted a search of the vicinity without any search warrant, and subsequently arrested the two without an arrest warrant.
The suspects’ relatives, who captured some of the four-hour ordeal on social media, claimed that the two were legitimate jewelry traders and not drug peddlers. They said the cops refused to show them identification and did not even coordinate the operation with barangay officials.
Hataman called on the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to probe this incident, as there seems to be mounting evidence to suggest that law enforcers in this case went beyond their authority and abused their powers.
“Ang sabi, buy-bust operation dapat ito. Ang sabi, dapat sa Luneta nangyari, pero hindi nagpakita. Given na totoo itong claim ng pulis, may kapangyarihan na ba sila na puntahan ang mga Muslim na ito sa bahay at halughugin ang kagamitan at arestuhin sila kahit walang warrant?,” he said.
“There is an uproar about what happened, and it involved trampling on basic human rights. And if this is the case, then we have to look closely at what happened. If they are really involved in drugs, then the police should build a better case against them instead of going the easy road and disregarding due process,” he further noted. (Ellson A. Quismorio)
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Too many shortcuts
The Basilan legislator is one of the estimated 30 congressmen who voted against the approval of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which was been passed both on third reading in the Senate and House of Representatives.
He cited as reasons the removal of a section that penalized law enforcement agencies for P500,000 a day for any wrongful arrests; the real possibility it may be used against Moros who are the usual suspects and even political enemies of any sitting administration; and that it lacked a comprehensive and reformative program for the prevention of violent extremism, among many others.
“In condemning this incident, I am not passing judgment on the guilt or innocence of everyone involved, but I am expressing strong feelings against the way law enforcers handled the situation. Parang madaming shortcut ang ginawa (They made a lot of shortcuts). It would seem that they did not do their jobs well, and by failing on their responsibilities, they deprived people of their rights to due process. At yan ay nakakatakot (That is frightening),” Hataman said.
“I hope that this will not be commonplace if the Anti-Terrorism Bill is signed into law. This is another reason to oppose such measures. If in drug cases, law enforcement can disregard basic rights of citizens, what more under this measure where they will be given more powers and more discretion?” he further said. (Ellson A. Quismorio)