Stay away PNP! SC upholds permanent protection order for kin of slain NPA officer

The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the permanent protection order it issued in favor of the family of Vivian Sanchez, the widow of late New People’s Army (NPA) officer Eldie Labinghisa, against the Philippine National Police (PNP) which was directed to stop spying on them.

“The right to privacy is a fundamental right, with the Constitution providing explicit limitations on unwarranted State intrusion into personal affairs,” read the June 15 resolution penned by SC Justice Marvic Leonen that was made public on Saturday (Oct. 9).

“To deter potential abuse of the State’s awesome powers by State agents, the Constitution guarantees every person’s right to due process,” it added.

With this, the SC turned down the motion for reconsideration of the of the PNP which asked the tribunal to withdraw the issuance of the permanent protection order.

“Petitioner was targeted because she initially refused to divulge her relationship with her dead husband when she went to the funeral parlor,” the resolution said.

“Respondents claim that she was only placed under general investigation because they wanted to know the identity of the unclaimed cadaver, but even after she had admitted to being the suspected member’s estranged wife, police surveillance continued and even intensified, causing her fear and anxiety for her and her children’s safety,” it pointed out.

If the PNP wanted to investigate her and her family, the SC told the PNP that “it should have conducted a formal investigation instead of a surreptitious surveillance, which not only infringed on petitioner’s right to privacy and her spousal privilege, but was also an abuse of respondents’ authority as State agents.”

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)