Solon urges SC to probe 'factory of search warrants' used in Calabarzon ops

ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro on Monday called on the Supreme Court to look into the "factory of search warrants" implemented during Sunday's police operations that led to the killings and arrests of activists in Calabarzon. 

Castro condemned the "Tokhang-style" operations, claiming that the Duterte administration has been using search warrants to supposedly plant firearms against leaders and members of progressive groups.

"We urge the Supreme Court to review its rule allowing executive judges of Quezon City and Manila to issue search warrants valid nationwide and the seeming complicity of several judges with human rights violations by their issuance of search warrants in violation of the Rules of Court," Castro said. 

"The tagging of human rights defenders and progressives as 'members of the NPA and terrorists' has been the line of the government to discredit, terrorize and demonize their legitimate calls for genuine change, which often lead to more human rights violations," she added. 

The lawmaker said the Duterte administration has been targeting peace advocates, members of the minority, farmers, lawyers, environmentalists and workers who are "helpless" against the bullets and bombs of the state's security forces. 

"A President that is allergic to criticism and dissent silences those who voice out their opposition while he continues to exploit the vulnerable and the weak even amid the health and economic crisis the country is facing," Castro said. 

"We demand an end to the killings of peace advocates, human rights defenders, environmentalists, activists, farmers, and workers," she said. 

At least nine activists died and six others were nabbed during the simultaneous police and military operations conducted in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal. 

According to Calabarzon police, authorities were able to recover explosives and several firearms allegedly from target individuals.

Various militant groups have denounced the incident, saying operations came following President Rodrigo Duterte's speech on Friday at the joint meeting of the National Task Force - Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Northern Mindanao wherein he told government forces to kill suspected rebels, without regard for human rights. —KG, GMA News