CA GRANTS PARTIAL WRIT FOR MELISSA ROXAS (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA learned through news sources in the Philippines that the Court of Appeals has partially granted the petition for writ of amparo and habeas data filed by Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas, and directed the military establishment to provide protection to her and her family while in the country against any form of harassment. In a 33-page decision penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam, the CA’s Former Special 16th Division also enjoined the military from distributing to the public any documents or records pertaining to Roxas’s alleged ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Torture Victim Identifies Military Officer as Captor During CA Hearing (tags)
Torture victim Raymond Manalo identified one of his captors during the continuation of the Cadapan-Empeño hearings at the Court of Appeals in Manila, Jan 18. Manalo took the witness stand for the second time to testify that he had been in detention together with the two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño and farmer Manuel Marino who were abducted June 26, 2007 in the province of Bulacan. The writ of amparo filed by the parents of Cadapan and Empeño has made headway as Manalo identified one of their captors in open court. In his first testimony in December, Manalo said he, together with his brother Reynaldo, was abducted on Feb. 14 and was secretly detained in several military camps in Central Luzon. He also said he had talked to Cadapan several times during detention and the UP student had told him she had been raped by soldiers.