(Eagle News)–The Office of the Solicitor General has hailed the Court of Appeals ruling dismissing the petition for writs of habeas data and amparo by the National Union of People’s Lawyers.
In a statement, the OSG said the ruling was a ” clear triumph for the rule of law and justice.”
“This victory further proves that the OSG is constantly hard at work in all its cases, notwithstanding the misinformation of a select few,” the OSG said.
According to the OSG, the ruling also proves that the NUPL’s allegation that “there is a violent attack by state forces against the legal profession, as its member-lawyers are vilified and red- tagged, is proved to be far more imaginary than real.”
“It is thus beyond cavil that the Petition is merely for political theatrics meant to harass the Government, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and his military generals, barren of any factual and legal bases,” the OSG said.
“In fact, the NUPL lawyers fully knew well that this is the second time that the Court of Appeals denied a similar case filed by KARAPATAN, et. al. against H.E. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, et. al., for being devoid of any merit worthy of judicial consideration,” it added.
In a 26-page ruling, the CA ruled the NUPL failed to show their rights to privacy had been violated, noting that some of their personal information was already readily available online.
“Even assuming, with nary an iota of competent evidence on record, that the various attacks, harassment, surveillance, and other nefarious acts perpetrated against NUPL members are true as alleged in the petition, such incidents, without sufficient corroborative evidence that the same was in fact on account of such membership, do not satisfy on their own the prerequisites for the grant of the privilege of the writ of amparo,” the CA added.
