Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 26) — A Baguio City court heeded the call of youth leaders seeking legal protection from supposed red-tagging by the Philippine National Police Cordillera unit.
Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 3 issued a writ of amparo, temporarily banning Police Regional Office Cordillera and all its units from posting any materials accusing the activists as fronts of communist rebels.
The writ of amparo is a legal remedy for protection from threats to a person’s life, liberty, and security committed by government actors.
The decision, signed by Judge Emmanuel Cacho Rasing on March 25, ordered the PNP Cordillera and its units to “make no social media or tarpaulin postings, or public postings by any other means, branding/tagging herein petitioners and the organizations they belong to as stated in the Petition as communist terrorists, New People’s Army/Communist Party of the Philippines front organizations, NPA/CPP recruiters and other similar content.”
The petitioners are Christian Dave B. Ruz, the Regional Coordinator of Kabataan Partylist – Cordillera and convenor of the Youth Act Now Against Tyranny for Baguio-Benguet; Deanna Louise C. Montenegro – spokesperson of the National Union Of Students of the Philippines-Cordillera; Leandro Enrico T. Ponce – current Chairperson of the University of the Philippines Baguio University Student Council; and Keidy M. Transfiguracion – Coordinator of the Cordilleran Youth Center.
Petitioners on March 24 sought a writ of amparo to be shielded from threats allegedly committed by the respondents.
The court also ordered the PNP Cordillera to make a verified return of the writ of amparo within five working days after service of the writ.
