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24 October 2008
KMU URGENT
ACTION ALERT
Dear friends,
At 1p.m. yesterday (23 October 2008), Atty. Remegio Saladero Jr. was
arbitrarily arrested in his house-cum-law office in Antipolo, Rizal on a
defective warrant of arrest supposedly charging him with frustrated and
multiple murder. He was arrested by members of the Antipolo police and was
brought to Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna. He was put in the same stockade
where the Tagaytay 5 (peasants and peasant advocates arrested on April
2006) were also held for more than 2 years.
Atty. Saladero Jr. is the chief legal counsel of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU),
Pro Labor Legal Assistance Center's (PLACE) Board Chairman, Anakpawis
Partylist's Legal Counsel, National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU)-KMU
chief legal counsel and a member of the National Union of People's Lawyers
(NUPL), among others. He graduated law at San Beda College and was among
the top 20 when he took the bar in 1984. He was also a law professor at
the Lyceum and the Dominican College. He is also a columnist at the
on-line newspaper Pinoy Weekly.
His wife Maricel alerted KMU about the incident at around 7pm last night.
Based on her accounts, she went to another town that day but they were
supposed to meet at their house at 3pm. When she arrived, she noticed that
both the gate and the front door was closed but not locked. As Atty.
Saladero was nowhere to be found, she tried to contact him at his two
mobile numbers but both can't be reached. Later, she found out that a
personal computer and a laptop were missing. After a few hours of waiting,
she called the office of NAFLU-KMU to seek support.
Following this information, his colleagues and friends in KMU, PLACE,
Anakpawis and others immediately organized a quick response team (QRT) to
search him. The media was also alerted about the abduction.
At around 9pm last night, Atty. Remegio was able to call his wife and told
her that he is presently detained at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna. A
contingent composed of KMU leaders and members in Manila and Southern
Tagalog together with a delegation from Anakpawis Party List immediately
went to the camp. The military guards initially refused entry to the
contingent but eventually relented.
In a brief talk with talk with Atty. Saladero, he said that that police
elements from Antipolo arrested him on charges of frustrated and multiple
murder in Mindoro. There was no specific murder case mentioned. It was a
defective warrant of arrest - his name was misspelled (Remegio, instead of
Remigio, Jr.) and the written address was Los Banos, Laguna. It was
clearly an intentional flaw, so as to surprise him with the warrant. It
was also meant to keep him away from the preliminary hearing on Oct 30 on
another arson case filed against him together with 26 others. There was no
preliminary investigation on this latest frustrated and multiple murder
case filed against him.
Atty. Noel Neri, Saladero's colleague at the PLACE, said that the
defective warrant of arrest used for Atty. Saladero was dated Oct. 8, 2008
and it is a non-bailable charge.
The frustrated and multiple murder charge is on top of cases of arson,
destruction of property and conspiracy to commit rebellion lodged against
him and 18 other activists and numerous John Does in relation to the
bombing of a Globe cell site in Lemery, Batangas on August 2, 2008. Atty.
Saladero is being accused as a member of the New Peoples Army (NPA).
Just before 7:00 this morning, military elements escorted Atty. Saladero
out of Camp Vicente Lim, on a red Toyota vehicle without a plate number.
He is now being transported to Mindoro where he will face the charges
filed against him. Some leaders of NAFLU-KMU also went to Mindoro to check
on where he will be transferred.
This incident is the latest desperate attempt to harass and frighten Atty.
Saladero and other PLACE lawyers for handling even the most controversial
labor cases on pro-bono basis such as the Hacienda Luisita and Nestle
Philippines. PLACE handles around 700 labor, human rights, criminal, civil
and administrative cases on pro-bono basis. Harassments to PLACE law
office started in 2006, during the height of political turmoil experienced
by the Arroyo government. PLACE had been under intense surveillance for
months since then.
Suggested Actions:
Urgent actions needed:
Please write to authorities asking the government to clear the name of
Atty. Remigio Saladero and stop tagging him as a rebel. Drop the cases of
arson, destruction of property, conspiracy to commit rebellion and
frustrated and multiple charges filed against him. Create an independent
investigating team to look into the series of surveillances to PLACE law
center.
You may send your communications to:
1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph
2. Ms. Leila De Lima
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
E-mail: chr.delima@yahoo.com
mtm_rodulfo@yahoo.com
3. Deputy Director General Jesus A. Verzosa
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
E-mail: bluetree73@gmail.com
4. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice (DoJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: agnesdeva@yahoo.com
raulgonzalez_doj@yahoo.com
Please furnish KMU (kmu.intl@gmail.com) a copy of your letter to concerned
authorities.
Thank you.
In solidarity,
KMU International Department
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URGENT ACTION (UA) ALERT
UA Date: 24 October 2008
UA Title: Labor lawyer illegally arrested and accused as NPA rebel in
Southern Tagalog, Philippines
UA Case: Illegal Arrest and Detention, Divestment of Properties,
Threat/Harassment/Intimidation
Victim/s: Atty. Remigio Saladero Jr.
- male, married, 49 years old, labor lawyer
- member-Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE)
- chief legal counsel for Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a progressive Trade
Unions Alliance
Place of Incident: at his law office in Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines
Dates of Incident: 23 October 2008, around 1:00 PM
Alleged Perpetrators: members of the Philippine National Police-Antipolo
Account of Incident:
Around 1 P.M. of 23 October 2008, Atty. Remigio Saladero Jr., a labor
lawyer of Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) and chief legal
counsel of labor organization KMU, was working in his office when an
unidentified man in plainclothes came in and asked if he is Atty.
Saladero. He said yes.
The man left, and returned in police uniform together with several other
police officers from PNP-Antipolo. He was shown a defective warrant of
arrest (bearing the wrong name, i.e. Remegio Saladero alias Ka Patrick and
address i.e., Los Baños, Laguna). Charges of Multiple Murder and Multiple
Frustrated Murder dated 6 October 2008 was reflected on the warrant. The
said warrant was issued by Branch 40 of Mindoro Oriental RTC in Calapan
City.
Atty. Saladero was handcuffed and forcibly taken out of his office. His
mobile phone, computer CPU (central processing unit) and a laptop were
also taken by the police.
He was first taken to the Rizal Provincial Police Headquarters in Antipolo
where the arresting officers took his picture. The police refused Atty.
Saladero's assertion of his right for a phone call to inform his family of
his whereabouts.
Later, he was transferred to Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna. At past 8P.M., he
was able to call his wife, Maricel. She arrived at Camp Vicente Lim at
around 11:30 P.M., accompanied by Atty. Noel Neri of PLACE and the human
rights Quick Reaction Team (QRT) composed of KARAPATAN-National, AnakPawis
Partylist and KMU members.
At first, the police refused to allow Maricel and Atty. Neri to talk to
the victim. After a heated argument, the two were finally allowed to speak
to Atty. Saladero but only for a short time.
The QRT stayed in the area until the morning of October 24 to ensure that
no further violation will be committed against Atty. Saladero.
At around 6:30AM the following day, October 24, Atty. Saladero was made to
board a red Toyota Corrolla with no plate and was transported to Batangas
Pier to be taken to Calapan City.
By 10 in the morning, another human rights team was already waiting for
Atty. Saladero at the Branch 40 of Mindoro Oriental RTC in Calapan City.
The team was alarmed that after five hours of waiting, Atty. Saladero has
yet to be presented in Court. Calapan City is about an hour and 45 minutes
travel via ferry from Batangas Pier.
While waiting for Atty. Saladero, the paralegal of the team asked a court
clerk for the documents of the charges filed against the labor lawyer. But
he was refused citing various reasons.
Later, at around 4 P.M., Atty. Saladero and his custodians finally arrived
at the court. He was then brought to Calapan City Provincial Jail.
Atty. Saladero was a professor at the Lyceum of the Philippines University
and Dominican College, both in Metro Manila. He is also a columnist of
Pinoy Weekly, an online newspaper where he writes about various labor
cases in the Philippines.
He is a member of PLACE which handles around 700 pro-bono cases on labor,
human rights, criminal, civil and administrative cases. PLACE, being a
progressive labor law office, has been subjected to harassments and
surveillance from unidentified men believed to be military agents.
Atty. Saladero is also charged with arson and conspiracy to commit
rebellion together with other 26 activists for allegedly burning a Globe
cell site in the town of Lemery in Batangas province last August 2, an
incident already claimed by the New Peoples Army (NPA).
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:
1) The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and
investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups,
the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will
look into the illegal arrest and detention of Atty. Remigio Saladero Jr.
2) The military to stop the labeling of human rights defenders as "members
of front organizations of the communists" and "enemies of the state."
3) The immediate release of Atty. Saladero.
4) The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all
the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of
these instruments' provisions.
You may send your communications to:
H.E. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph
Gen. Hermogenes Esperon
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Mobile:
Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579
osec@opapp.gov.ph
Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr.
Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2) 911 6213
osnd@philonline.com
Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email: raulgonzalez_doj@yahoo.com
Hon. Leila De Lima
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
Email: atty_delima@yahoo.com.ph
Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government
officials, to our address below.
URGENT ACTION Prepared by:
KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)-National
Office
2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts., Brgy. Central, Diliman,
Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Emails: <karapatan.pid@gmail.com> / <karapatan.admin@gmail.com>
Website:
www.karapatan.org
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