Several personalities from politics, arts, religious and other sectors have signed a petition to withdraw the arrest warrants against four militant leaders over murder charges.
The petition was signed by 174 individuals for the militant officials who have pending arrest warrants for cases filed in 2006 over alleged double murder in an election-related violence.
READ: Surrender, PNP tells 4 militant leaders
鈥淲e condemn the issuance of arrest warrants by the Palayan, Nueva Ecija Court for former Makabayan representatives Teddy Casi帽o, Satur Ocampo and former DAR secretary Rafael Mariano and current NAPC Convenor Sec. Liza Maza,鈥� a statement released聽Saturday听谤别补诲.
Those who signed the petition include former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, former Senator Rene Saguisag, National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, author Ricky Lee, and Director Joel Lamangan.
鈥淭here is no justifiable reason鈥� for the Court order, according to the group.
鈥淭here was no murder case to begin with as far as one supposed target, Jimmy Peralta, died in a vehicular accident, as attested by police spot reports,鈥� the statement read.
It tagged the alleged order of the four leaders for the supposed murder of Peralta and Carlito Bayudang to ensure Bayan Muna鈥檚 victory in an election is an 鈥渙utright lie鈥� and 鈥渃oncoction鈥� by military leaders and false witnesses.
鈥淛udge Atienza-Turla should have dismissed the obvious fabricated murder charges a decade back,鈥� the statement read.
It also accused that the 鈥渞eincarnation鈥� of the Inter-agency Legal Action Group (IALAG) under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the Inter-Agency Committee on Legal Action (IACLA) is 鈥減art of the Duterte regime鈥檚 assault on pro-democracy forces.鈥�
鈥淲e urge the executive judge Trece Wenceslao to reverse a clearly unjust order. [ 鈥� ] We demand an end to the persecution of聽 Satur, Liza, Teddy, Paeng and all victims of trumped-up charges鈥� it added.
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