Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Landowners seek protection v. raids
A LANDOWNER and his wife from the mountain barangay of Tabunan, Cebu City have filed a petition seeking Writ of Amparo protection against their village’s officials.
Spouses Nerio and Soledad Pador said the officials suspected them of maintaining a marijuana plantation and, despite a raid that yielded nothing but ampalaya, they were “invited” over to a hearing.
But they snubbed the hearing and instead to submitted a letter-reply prepared by lawyer Rameses Victorius Villagonzalo. The barangay captain got a copy but refused to acknowledge receipt.
“The raid, the invitation letter and the refusal of the respondent barangay captain to receive the petitioners’ letter-reply left chilling effects upon the spines of the petitioner,” they said in their petition.
This caused the petitioners sleepless nights, insecurity, hurt feelings and fear and they must be given protection under the law, the petition said.
Tanods
Named as respondents in the petition submitted to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) are Barangay Captain Bernabe Arcayan, and barangay tanods Romeo Pador, Alberto Alivio, Carmelo Revales, Roberto Alimorin, Winelo Arcayan, Christopher Alivio and Bienvenido Arcayan.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 headquarters and the PNP also received copies of the petition.
Amplaya
The Padors narrated in the petition how the officials raided their ampalaya plantation last March 17.
The raid, they said, happened after they were suspected as having a marijuana plantation in Tabunan.
“Such raid, based on false accusation of a very serious crime of planting marijuana, is as serious and grave as actual planting of marijuana itself,” said the petition prepared by Villagonzalo.
“It (the raid) also violated the petitioners’ right to life, liberty and security as they were made to undergo a supposed law enforcement operation which was a raid sans due process of law and without any legal or factual basis,” it added.
Based on the petition, the Padors tried to find out from the barangay how they got linked to marijuana planting.
But, instead of being given an explanation if not an offer of apology, they were given “invitation letters for an unknown purpose.” (KNR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 26, 2008 issue)
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