ILOILO City – For lack of substantial evidence, a regional trial court (RTC) here dismissed the petition for the issuance of a Writ of Amparo filed by former Bayan Muna party-list congressman Siegfred Deduro.
Judge Nestle Go of Iloilo RTC Branch 24, in his order, said issuance of the Writ of Amparo requires that every petition must be supported by justifying allegations of facts.
Deduro’s allegations, according to Go, lacked the substantial evidence required by the said writ, thus the court finds the petition not meritorious.
Deduro filed his petition for a Writ of Amparo on Oct. 22 against the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) over accusations that the former congressman was an official of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Western Visayas.
A Writ of Amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.
The writ also covers extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or threats thereof.
Deduro – a founding member and vice president for Visayas of the Bayan Muna party-list and also of the Makabayan Coalition – said he was disappointed by the court’s decision dismissing his petition.
“The Writ of Amparo was not issued by the court, which I sought to secure my life and security. The court did not even require the answer of the respondent, (3ID commander) Major General (Eric) Vinoya. It did not order the hearing of the petition,” Deduro said in a statement.
“The extrajudicial killings of previously red-tagged activists like Jory Porquia, Zara Alvarez, Escalante City councilor Toto Patigas, and Negros Occidental human rights lawyer Ben Ramos, among others, create a chilling effect among those targeted by the military’s vilification campaign,” said Deduro.
He added: “I believe that being accused by the 3ID as the No. 3 leader of the CPP in Panay, carries with it a serious threat to my life and security.”
Deduro also said he will not stop seeking protection from the court.
“I am consulting my lawyer on the possible legal remedy in the dismissal of my petition for a Writ of Amparo,” he added.
For his part, 3ID spokesperson Major Cenon Pancito III, said the court’s decision solidified their earlier theory that Deduro was “hallucinating” and that the so-called threats to his life were “all products of his wild imagination.”
“We pity him. It’s a sign of old age. The court dismissed the petition motu propio. Kung sa baseball pa, out na agad at ‘di man lang naka-first base. This speaks of the kind of complaints that he has – one that cannot stand even at the very first level,” Pancito told Panay News.
On June 19, 2020 during the meeting of the Iloilo Provincial Peace and Order Council at Casa Real (old Iloilo provincial capitol building), the military alleged in their presentation of local terrorists that Deduro was a ranking member of the rebel movement.
The following day Deduro released a statement to the media denouncing the aforementioned accusations made by the 3ID and called for a halt to the military’s vilification of him and fellow activists.
According to Deduro, the accusation of the military was false and malicious, making him a target of government military or para-military units.
But Pancito was quick to refuted Deduro’s claims.
Pancito said Vinoya was not part of the June 19 meeting of the Iloilo Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) at Casa Real (old Iloilo provincial capitol building).
“I would like to inform former congressman Deduro that General Vinoya is not part of the PPOC. He is hallucinating. Hindi nya talaga alam kasi wala si Sir Vinoya sa PPOC; provincial meeting ‘yan, hindi regional,” Pancito said in an earlier statement.
With the court’s decision, Pancito told Deduro to “just move on and just enjoy the remaining days of his life so that his worries and the hallucinations would lessen.”/PN
