TWO pastors of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and a lay leader yesterday asked the Supreme Court to issue a writ of amparo and temporary protection order to protect them from red-tagging and alleged surveillance by the Philippine Army in Batangas.
A petition for a writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person
whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.
The writ covers extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or threats.
The petitioners, UCCP Rev. Edwin Egar and his wife Rev. Julieta Egar, and former barangay captain and UCCP member Ronald Ramos said they were accused of giving aid to communist rebels and were included in the list of alleged New People’s Army members who have surrendered.
Egar said she has been placed under surveillance while her husband has been in hiding for more than two weeks now amid their fears that what happened to nine activists killed in last year’s “bloody Sunday” incident in Calabarzon might also happen to them.
Named respondents in the petition are Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Army 2nd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen.Roberto Capulong, 58th Infantry Battalion chief Lt. Col. Alfredo Teneza Jr., one Lt. Taro, Sergeants Ronald Dalo and John Granpil, PFC Borge Ebol and Roy Dela Pena, and several John Does.
The petitioners asked the SC to immediately issue a writ of amparo and a temporary protection order prohibiting the respondents “from threatening to commit or committing, personally or through another, any acts violative of the right to life, liberty and security of the petitioners.”
They also asked the SC to prohibit the respondents, their officers and agents from harassing, annoying, telephoning, contacting or communicating with them directly or indirectly and to stay away from them, their residence, school, place of employment or detention or any specific place they frequent.
The petitioners also asked the SC that they and members of their families be protected by a private institution capable of keeping them safe, specifically the UCCP, or any church group willing and able to provide a secure facility.
