Manila, Philippines – The Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) has demanded an independent inquiry into how a gang of bogus claimants managed to encash checks meant for awardees in the Marcos human rights case.
SELDA vice chairman Bonifacio Ilagan said such in investigation into the case is needed to ferret out the truth on the issue, noting that his group, which includes all the original plaintiffs, was not given a master list of the 9,539 awardees by lead counsel Robert Swift, lawyer Rod Domingo, and their ally, Chairwoman Etta Rosales of the Commis sion on Human Rights (CHR).
Ilagan expressed disgust at the arrest of eight people who fiddled with the checks, insisting that it is the responsibility of Swift, Domingo, and Rosales to maintain the integrity of the list since they deliberately did not provide SELDA with the roster. (Marvyn N. Benaning)