BACOLOD City – The Sagay City Police filed charges against human rights group Karapatan for the alleged kidnapping of a 14-year-old witness to the massacre of nine farmers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
Prior to this, Philippine Army 303rd Infantry Brigade commander Colonel Benedict Arevalo previously reported that it was the teen’s father, Vic Pedoso, who filed the kidnapping complaint and serious detention against a certain Atty. Panguban of the National Union of Pilipino Lawyers (NUPL) and the group Karapatan.
According to the military, NULP and Karapatan initially attempted to take the witness away from the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) by using people who pretended to be the child’s grandparents.
When that did not work, the groups allegedly convinced the child’s mother to force the DSWD to turn over custody of the witness to NULP and Karapatan.
However, the child’s father objected to the transfer of custody as it was done without his consent. This prompted him to file a kidnapping case against the lawyer and Karapatan.
PNP’s Director General Oscar Albayalde said it was not fair to give the group custody over a child who is not their relative and then suppress him from testifying.
At present, Albayalde said he is not sure of the child’s location. (UNTV)
