A team from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reportedly arrived last week in the island to look into the alleged mauling of a resident by government troops in sitio Tucao, JMA in San Miguel.
According to a reliable source, the alleged incident was reported to the CHR regional office by the local Bayan Muna chapter.
The team’s mission to Tucao came just three days after New People’s Army guerillas fired upon and killed PSMS John Teston while he and five companions were returning to the station after an attempt to serve arrest warrants on two wanted men.
It is not known whether the CHR team would also look into the death of the San Miguel policeman.
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Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 43 Presiding Judge Lelu P. Contreras made good on her vow to serve out in Catanduanes her stint as a member of the judiciary.
Last Monday at midnight, she ended her 41 years of public service, including 16 years as an RTC judge and all of it here in Virac, with a party at E-Crown Hotel.
She was supposed to mandatorily retire on her 70th year on Jan. 7. 2023 but surprised everyone, including her family, by advancing the date by 11 months. Happy retirement, Madam Lelu!
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Last week’s dialogue between the Catanduanes police and the local media on relevant issues was fruitful.
Time was not enough to fit in the last item on the agenda: the issue of some local journalists’ controversial social media coverage of the Tucao ambush that was replete with inaccuracy, lack of verification and a tendency to go ahead with unsubstantiated information.
There was, however, a general agreement that the local police who want to invite members of the local media as witnesses in anti-illegal drug operations should send a letter to their respective media companies prior to the conduct of the search or buy-bust operation.
Police Community Affairs Development (PCAD) Group in-charge Lt. Col. Louie Manuel dela Peña and assistyant chief Maj. Emsol Icawat also agreed with the media’s view that such witnesses are allowed to participate in the inventory of evidence only, with their on-court testimony limited only to such activity.
It was suggested during the meeting at Camp Camacho that PCAD coordinate with the Provincial Prosecution Office for a meeting with the local media, especially those invited as witnesses, to thresh out issues and clarify their participation in anti-drug operations and subsequent court hearings.
Under Section 21 (1) of Republic Act 9165, a representative of the media is one of the mandatory witnesses in physical inventory of illegal drugs seized and confiscated by the apprehending team. The others are a representative of the Department of Justice (DOJ), and any elected public official.
It has been the experience of media witnesses that they are made to attend the pre-operation briefing at police headquarters and accompany the team to the vicinity of the area where the operation will be conducted, which often takes as long as 12 hours.
Then they are called to the court to testify on how the mission went down, with their testimony often used to corroborate the versions of the police and the accused.
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THE EXECUTION. A priest, a politician and an engineer were scheduled to be executed late in the French revolution. It has to be public, and people are tired of all the bloodshed, so a crowd of spectators is forcibly rounded up.
The priest is brought up to the guillotine and lays down on the table. The executioner pulls the cord and the heavy steel blade descends … then shudders to a stop in the middle of the track. The executioner is a very smart guy so he proclaims, “This is a sign from God, that the life of this priest should be spared!” The priest is set free to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Next the politician is brought up and laid on the table. The cord is pulled, and the blade again shudders to a halt in the same place. The executioner proclaims: “The grace of God is extended even to this politician!” And the crowd goes wild with joy!
The engineer steps up last and says, “You know, if you tighten that bolt, this thing will work.”