MANILA – Solicitor General Jose Calida has been preventing the release of documents for the administration’s war-on-drugs, a lawyer’s group complained before the Supreme Court.
A motion filed by the Center for International Law (Centerlaw) said Calida has refused to give them copies of the war-on-drugs documents despite its requests.
The lawyer’s group added that while the OSG submitted the documents to the SC, Calida did not furnish the petitioners challenging the constitutionality of the anti-drug campaign with copies.
“This is in violation of the Rules of Court that requires that pleadings and papers must be served on the parties affected,” Centerlaw said in a statement.
It added: “By refusing to provide petitioners with copies of the documents, Calida is violating their right to due process, right of the people to information on matters of public concern and the government’s full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.”
The Supreme Court in 2017 has ordered the government to submit reports on the thousands alleged drug suspects killed in presumed-legitimate police antidrug operations.
Calida refused to follow the SC’s order, saying the documents involve sensitive information that has national security implications. But he later complied with the order./PN
