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Monday, March 21, 2005
Gov't lawyers on 24-hour alert for Holy Week (4:40 p.m.)
By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA -- State lawyers will be on a twenty-four hour alert over the Easter holidays, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Monday, following reports of possible terrorist activity.
Aside from the terror related cases, Gonzalez said prosecutors who are in charge of conducting inquest proceedings for suspects nabbed during the holidays have also been put on 24-hour detail with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority and the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force, Gonzalez said.
Lawyers from the Public Attorney's Office will also be around to represent the poor litigants.
"There are times when the inquest officers are needed and police had to fetch them at home. Some of them are even in their pajamas. We don't want that. There has to be somebody on standby 24 hours," Gonzalez pointed out.
Department of Justice officials citing "A-1" information has cited possible retaliatory attacks on churches by extremists sympathetic to the 22 Abu Sayyaf suspects killed when police raided a high-security jailhouse in Taguig overrun by the inmates.
State Prosecutor Peter Medalle earlier said he learned of the Abu Sayyaf plot from an informant who called him up.
Medalle also said they have given repeated warnings to jail guards of the Metro Manila Rehabilitation Center in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig since February and up to last week. |
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