Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles has demanded that law enforcement authorities pursue those responsible for putting up a poster Judge Monique Quisumbing-Ignacio of the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court (RTC) linking her to communists.
“I’d like to know what our police and other law enforcers are doing regarding this. Sa pampublikong lugar nailagay ang poster, malamang may CCTV footage iyan. I hope the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Mandaluyong City will provide these videos so that we can pinpoint and pursue those responsible,” Nograles said.
“Under a climate of fear the justice system will be effectively crippled—Lady Justice would not only be blindfolded, but her hands would now also be tied.”
Nograles condemned the incident, as he said that rather than an isolated case, the red-tagging of Quisumbing-Ignacio was a veiled threat to the whole judiciary to “toe the line.”.
“This latest targeting of judges is a frightening development, and unless the government does something to stop it we will slide further and further into a state where workers of the law are cowed into submission. Under a climate of fear the justice system will be effectively crippled—Lady Justice would not only be blindfolded, but her hands would now also be tied,” Nograles, a Harvard-trained lawyer, said.
The lawmaker added that the looming threat of judges being red-tagged could lead to judges refusing to take on cases or to overlook lapses in procedure out of fear of reprisal.
The vice chair of the House Committee on Justice also called on the police to provide special protection for Quisumbing-Ignacio, as these posters “have become a presage of death.” Similar posters in the past had led to violent and fatal attacks on the personages named in them, he said.
Judge Quisumbing-Ignacio last month dismissed charges against Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem and labor organizer Rodrigo Esparago, who were among seven people who were arrested on Dec. 10, 2020, in separate police operations in Metro Manila.
Nograles has repeatedly called for additional protection for lawyers, judges, and prosecutors. A study by the Free Legal Assistance Group has revealed that 61 lawyers have been killed since 2016.
Quisumbing-Ignacio last month dismissed charges against Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem and labor organizer Rodrigo Esparago, who were among seven people who were arrested on Dec. 10, 2020, in separate police operations in Metro Manila.
The judge cited the inadmissibility of evidence used against them after declaring that the search warrants law enforcers used were “null and void.” She ordered Salem and Esparago’s release from detention on March 5.
“Maraming salamat Judge Monique Quisumbing- Ignacio, RTC Branch 209, Mandaluyong City, sa paglaya ng kasama nating Lady Ann Salem and Rodrigo Esparago. Ituloy ang laban! Mabuhay!” the poster, which was hung on the elevated walkway near the Edsa-Crossing intersection in Mandaluyong, reads. At the bottom of the poster were the logos of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front of the Philippines.