Continuing Threats, Surveillance vs Lawyers, Judges Denounced

The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) condemned the death threats and surveillance against lawyers and judges.

Based on the monitoring and documentation of the NUPL and the Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL) from 2001 to 2008, at least 13 lawyers and a judge have been subjected to surveillance by suspected state agents and 11 received death threats.

Suspected intelligence agents have also frequented the offices of Public Interest Law Center (PILC), Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) and Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM).

Atty. Neri Javier Colmenares, NUPL secretary general, cited the death threats received by Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Silvino Pampilo and Atty. Harry Roque.

In two separate incidents, Judge Pampilo found on his car a note that read “Papatayin kita.” (I will kill you.) Judge has handled controversial cases including those involving First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, and members of the Philippine National Police and other public officials such as Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Atty. Roque who handles the class suit filed by 43 Filipino journalists against Mike Arroyo, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband and a complainant to the fourth impeachment case filed against Arroyo also received death threats via his cellular phone.

Colmenares said Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Atty. Jobert Pahilga have been both subjected to extreme surveillance.

Atty. Angeles is the defense lawyer of soldiers facing court martial, including Capt. Nicanor Faeldon who has gone fugitive. Atty. Angeles has been constantly tailed, her phones bugged and emails tampered. . Philippine Army personnel constantly ‘visit’ her office. Sometime in September, while Atty. Angeles was driving along Aurora Boulevard in San Juan City, Metro Manila, a Ford Expedition with no license plate got ahead of her car. The driver rolled down his window, looked and pointed at her. He then swerved to block her path, prompting Atty. Angeles to stop. The man pointed at her and said, ‘Mag-iingat ka’ (Be careful.)

Atty. Pahilga, a pro-bono lawyer for poor farmers, has also been tailed. Suspected intelligence agents went to his house in Navotas, to his office in Quezon City and to his mother’s house in Antique. He has also been receiving death threats.

Colmenares said, “”Most of the lawyers targeted for surveillance and death threats are lawyers whose clients are perceived to be enemies of the Arroyo government.”

He said further, “The fact that lawyers and judges continue to experience such forms of harassment is an attack on the legal profession because it aims to force lawyers and judges to desist from doing their job with integrity and independence. The fact that many of the perpetrators of the attacks against lawyers and judges have not been arrested means that impunity persists. The sorry state of human rights in the country remains.”

He said most of their fallen colleagues also received death threats and were under surveillance before they were killed. Since 2001, 22 lawyers, two law students have been murdered. Fifteen judges have also been killed since 1999.

The NUPL, together with the Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL), is hosting the International Verification and Fact-Finding Mission (IVFFM) on the Attacks against Filipino Lawyers and Judges of the Dutch Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (L4L). , The fact finding mission slated November 4 to 12, aims to follow up on the commitments made by the Arroyo government to address the extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and other rights abuses and conduct investigation on new cases of attacks against Filipino lawyers and judges.

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