Atty. Saladero at mga lider-aktibista sa Timog Katagalugan, nakalaya na

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NAKALAYA na kahapon, Pebrero 5, si Atty. Remigio Saladero Jr., chief legal counsel ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) at kolumnista ng Pinoy Weekly, mula sa Calapan City Provincial Jail matapos ang tatlong buwan na pagkakakulong.

Kasama niyang nakalaya ang lima pang kasama niyang inaresto at ikinulong na sina Nestor San Jose, Crispin Zapanta, Rogelio Galit, Emmanuel Dionida at Arnaldo Seminiano, pawang mga lider ng makabayang mga organisasyon sa Timog Katagalugan.

Naganap ang mga pag-aresto sa pagitan ng Oktubre 23 hanggang Noyembre 6 noong nakaraang taon.

Samantala, nakalaya rin si Leonardo Arceta, lider-manggagawa sa Laguna, na dinakip noong lamang Lunes, Enero 2.

Matatandaang bahagi sina Atty. Saladero ng tinaguriang Southern Tagalog 72 (ST 72), mga lider ng mga organisasyon ng magsasaka at manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan na simanpahan ng anila’y “gawa-gawang mga kaso” noong Oktubre ng nakaraang taon.

Kabilang sa mga kasong sinampa ang frustrated murder at multiple frustrated murder kaugnay umano ng kanilang pananambang sa kapulisan at pagpapasabog ng mga cell site sa Batangas at Mindoro.

Sa mga naunang pahayag ni Atty. Saladero, ilegal ang pagkaka-aresto sa kanila. Gayundin, depektibo ang mga kaso, maging ang paraan kung paano ito isinampa laban sa kanila.

Inilabas ng Mindoro Oriental Regional Trial Court ang release order ni Atty. Saladero at anim pang aktibista, tanghali ng Pebrero 5.

Sinang-ayunan ng nasabing korte ang pahayag ng abogado na hindi maaaring pasama-samahin ang iba’t iba pagkakasala, halimbawa ang frustrated murder at multiple frustrated murder, sa iisang kaso.

Kayan naman nagbigay-daan din ang korte sa sinampang motion to quash the information ng grupo nina Atty. Saldero.

Ayon sa Executive Vice President ng KMU na si Joselito Ustarez, titiyakin nilang “ganap na ang paglaya nina Atty. Saladero at maibabasura na ang gawa-gawang mga kaso sa kanila.” Bagama’t nakalaya na sina Atty. Saladero ay hindi pa rin binabasura ang mga kasong kriminal laban sa ST 72.

Ayon naman kay Joel Manglunsod ng Anakpawis Party-list, ang paglaya nina Atty. Saladero ay “tanda ng paunang tagumpay ng mga mamamayan laban sa terorismo ng Estado.” Gayundin, ani Maglunsod, “tagumpay ito ng mga nakikipaglaban para sa karapatang pantao.”

Kaugnay nito, maglulusad ang Anakpawis at iba pang makabayang mga organisasyon ng mas matinding kampanya laban sa Oplan Bantay Laya 2 na target umano ang mga legal na aktibista gaya nila.

Nananawagan din ang grupo sa paglansag sa Inter-agency Legal Action Group na siya umanong nasa likod ng “paggamit ng batas upang supilin ang nagtatanggol ng karapatan ng mamamayan at lumalaban sa mapanupil na gobyerno.”

Ayon kay Atty. Saladero, masaya siya ngayong nakalaya na sila at mahaharap na muli ang mga usapin ng mga managawa laluna sa kasalukuyang panahon na talamak ang tanggalan sa mga pagawaan.

Jeffrey Ocampo

Free Atty. Saladero Coalition inilunsad

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Jeffrey Ocampo/Pinoy Weekly

INILUNSAD ngayong araw, Nobyembre 13, ang Free Atty. Saladero Coalition na binubuo ng mga unyon, abogado, makabayang mga organisasyon, at iba pang tagasuporta ni Atty. Remigio Saldero Jr., kilalang labor lawyer at kolumnista ng Pinoy Weekly.

Layon ng grupo na pangunahan ang kampanya para sa kagyat na pagpapalaya kay Saladero na kasalukuyang nakadetine sa Calapan City Jail sa Mindoro Oriental.

Umano’y “arbitraryong dinakip” si Saladero noong Oktubre 23 sa kanyang tahanan sa Antipolo, Rizal. Humaharap siya sa kasong multiple murder at multiple frustrated murder kaugnay diumano ng ambush ng mga rebeldeng New People’s Army sa Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental noong 2006.

Humaharap din ang abogado sa kasong arson, destruction of property at conspiracy to commit rebellion kaugnay ng pagpapasabog ng mga NPA sa isang cell site sa Lemery, Batangas nitong Agosto.

Nakasumite na ang mga abogado ng Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) at Public Interest Law Center sa Calapan Regional Trial Court Branch 40 ng petisyon para bawiin ang mandamyento-de-aresto at idismis ang kaso.

Ayon kay Atty. Noel Neri, kasamahan ni Saladero sa PLACE, malinaw na hindi dumaan sa proseso ang pagsasampa ng umano’y “gawa-gawang” kaso.

Sa pagdinig na naganap noong Oktubre 27, napag-alamang walang naganap na preliminary investigation bago ang pagdakip sa abogado.

Na-archive o “natulog” din umano ang kaso pagkatapos ang pagsasampa nito noong 2006. Nitong 2008, isang “deep penetrating agent” (DPA) ng militar na nagngangalang Vincent Silva ang nagturo kay Saladero at iba pang lider-aktibista sa isang “amended information” na isinumite sa korte.

Muling nabuksan ang kaso kahit walang motion to re-open, ayon pa kay Neri.

Nakatakdang bumisita ang mga tagasuporta ni Saladero sa piitan upang personal na alamin ang kalagayan ng abogado at kasama niyang mga akusado.

Sunod-sunod ding mga aktibidad ang isasagawa upang kagyat na mapalaya ang umano’y mga “biktima ng bagong yugto ng panunupil sa mga manggagawa at sa kilusang paggawa.”

Ayon kay Daisy Arago ng Center for Trade Union Human Rights (CTUHR), ang pagkaso kay Saladero at iba pang lider-aktibista ay “bahagi ng malupit at nagpapatuloy na programa kontra-insurhensiya ng gobyerno.”

Binalikan ni Arago ang parehong mga kaso ng panunupil sa kilusang paggawa, gaya ng pagpaslang noong batas militar kay Felixberto Olalia, tagapangulo ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

Si Saldero ay chief legal counsel ng KMU at humahawak ng 700 kaso ng mga manggagawa.

Ilan sa mga organisasyon at indibidwal na pumaloob sa Free Atty. Saladero Coalition ay ang CTUHR, KMU, PLACE, Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, at Bishop Gabriel Garo ng United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

Nagpaabot din ng suporta ang Lex Leonum Fraternitas, sinalihan na fraternity ni Saladero habang nasa law school ng San Beda College.

Ayon kay Rina Cortiguera ng National Federation of Labor Unions o NAFLU, si Saladero ay “mahusay na estudyante ng Political Science sa Mindanao State University at ng abogasiya sa San Beda.”

Nagturo din ang abogado sa Dominican College, Lyceum of the Philippines at iba pang kolehiyo.

Ayon sa nabuong koalisyon, “ang maari lamang ipiit ay ang pisikal na katawan ngunit hindi ang kawastuan ng ipinaglalaban.”

Naniniwala itong makakamit ang hustisya para kay Saladero at iba pang umano’y biktima ng panunupil sa kolektibong pagkilos.

Rights group wants UN intervention on ‘illegal’ arrest of militant lawyer

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Gmanews.tv

10/28/2008 | 12:11 PM

MANILA, Philippines - A Hong Kong-based human rights group sought United Nations intervention Tuesday for a militant lawyer who police “arrested” in his house in Antipolo City last week.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) questioned the “trumped” charges against Remegio Saladero Jr, along with his continued detention a week after his arrest. Saladero is the chief legal counsel of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

“Please also be informed that the AHRC is writing letters to the (United Nations) Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and Working Group on arbitrary detention calling for intervention in this case,” AHRC said in a statement on its website.

On Thursday last week, plainclothes police arrested Saladero while he was working in his house in Antipolo City.

The police showed him a warrant of arrest dated Oct. 6 2008 issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40 in Calapan City in Mindoro Oriental.

In its statement, the AHRC cited discrepancies in the arrest warrant issued against Saladero.

“However, the name and address of the person mentioned in the arrest warrant were different from his. The warrant was for charges of multiple murders and multiple frustrated murders that took place in Mindoro,” AHRC said.

Still, Saladero was handcuffed and forcibly taken into custody. The police also took his mobile phone, computer CPU (central processing unit) and a laptop, the group noted.

Saladero was first taken to the Rizal Provincial Police Headquarters in Antipolo City where the arresting officers photographed him.

While in police custody, the police refused Saladero’s assertion that he should be allowed to contact his family and inform them of his whereabouts.

Later, he was transferred to Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna. It was only after 8 p.m. that he was able to contact his wife, Maricel.

“At first, the police refused to allow Maricel and Neri to speak to the victim. It was only after they had a heated argument that the police allowed Maricel and Neri to do so for a short time,” AHRC said.

The team stayed in the area until October 24 to ensure that Saladero would be treated accordingly while in police custody.

At around 6:30 a.m. on October 24, Saladero was made to board a red Toyota Corrolla with no license plates. He was then transported to a pier in Batangas where he was taken on a ferry to Calapan City.

By 10 a.m., another team was also waiting for Saladero at the court where he would be taken in Calapan City. However, it took the team five hours to arrive and to present Saladero in court.

Apart from the murder charges, AHRC said, Saladero was also “falsely” charged with arson and conspiracy to commit rebellion together with 18 other activists for allegedly having been involved in burning a cell site of a telecommunication company in Lemery, Batangas last August 2.

The New People’s Army claimed responsibility for the attack.

AHRC said those falsely charged together with Saladero were Nestor Samarita, Noriel Ricafort, Agaton Bautista, Amelito Sto. Tomas, Bayani Cambronero, Antonio Cule, Reynaldo Malaborbor, Alex Arias, Rolando Mingo, Nestor San Jose, Mario Caraig, Yolanda Yaun, Jacquilin
Entienza, Romeo Lorca Aguilar, Dina Capetillo, Edmar Fernandez, Isabelo Alicaya, and Rafael Magadia.

A certain Arvin Martinez Leviste, a self-proclaimed deep penetrating agent (DPA) of the Philippine Air Force, stood as witness of the case.

Leviste claimed that he has been involved with Saladero in NPA activities for a year now.

“It was only early this month when Saladero found out that his name and photo was among the list in a memorandum order subject to preliminary investigation by the prosecutor’s office in Batangas City although the order was dated August 12,” AHRC said.

AHRC said that before the police took custody of Saladero, there have been incidents of overt surveillance conducted at the office of their labor center.

In October 2007, a soldier was arrested for spying on the labor center in Quezon City. When taken to the police station, the soldier admitted that he and another companion who had escaped from arrest was carrying out surveillance and that they were on official duty.

“The charges for arson and conspiracy to commit rebellion against him and 18 other activists must also be thoroughly reviewed. They must also be dropped if found that no substantial evidence to hold them for trial,” AHRC said. – GMANews.TV

Pag-aresto kay Atty. Saladero kinondena ng 5 grupo ng abogado

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Ilang-Ilang Quijano/Pinoy Weekly

KINONDENA ng limang grupo ng mga abogado ang umano’y pagdukot at ilegal na pag-aresto noong Oktubre 23 kay Atty. Remigio Saladero, beteranong labor lawyer at kolumnista ng Pinoy Weekly.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ng National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL), Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE), Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (SENTRA) at Public Interest Legal Center (PILC) na ang pagsasampa ng kasong multiple murder at multiple frustrated murder laban kay Saladero ay “bahagi ng tangka ng gobyerno na supilin ang mga nagtataguyod sa karapatang pantao at kritikal sa mga polisiya ni Pangulong Arroyo.”

Si Saladero ay Chief Legal Counsel ng Kilusang Mayo Uno, militanteng sentro ng paggawa. Kabilang din si Saladero sa mga kumuwestiyon sa Korte Suprema ng konstitusyunalidad ng Calibrated Pre-Emptive Response ni Arroyo noong 2006.

“Ang atake kay Atty. Saladero ay paglabag sa kanyang karapatan sa due process dahil hindi siya sinabihan hinggil sa reklamo at hindi niya naipagtanggol ang kanyang sarili bago inilabas ang warrant. Isa rin itong atake sa legal profession. Hinaharas si Atty. Saladero dahil sa paggampan ng kanyang propesyon. Dagok ito sa right to counsel at access to justice ng maraming manggagawa at biktima ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao na ang mga kaso ay hinahawakan ni Atty. Saladero,” ayon pa sa mga grupo ng abogado.

Ayon sa mga grupo ng abogado, imposible ang mga paratang kay Saladero na abala sa paghahawak ng mahigit 700 kaso.

Kamakailan, kinasuhan din si Saladero ng arson, destruction of property, at conspiracy to commit rebellion, kasama ng 26 pang lider-aktibista ng Timog Katagalugan, para sa panununog diumano ng cell site ng Globe Telecom noong Agosto sa Lemery, Batangas.

Pero ayon sa mga grupo ng abogado, “gawa-gawa” ang kasong ito.

“Hindi miyembro si Atty. Saladero ng New People’s Army at hindi siya pugante. Lantad siyang nag-aabogado sa mga pagdinig sa korte,” anila.

Samantala, nangangamba si Atty. Noel Neri, miyembro ng NUPL at kasamahan ni Saladero sa PLACE, na maaapektuhan ang mga kasong pro-bono para sa mahihirap na hinahawakan ng 50-anyos na abogado.

Nagbabala naman ang grupo ng abogado na magsasampa ng kasong qualified theft sa mga miyembro ng raiding team na kinumpiska ang laptop, cellphone, at desktop computer ni Saladero nang ihain umano ang warrant.

Magsasampa din umano sila ng mga kasong kriminal at administratibo laban sa mga opisyal ng gobyerno na nasa likod ng kaso, at ng kasong perjury laban sa mga testigo na diumano’y gumawa ng maling mga pahayag.

Nauna nangpinagalitan ng Korte Suprema ang Department of Justice dahil sa pagiging kasangkapan diumano nito sa panghaharas sa mga kritiko ng gobyernong Arroyo.

Nanawagan ang mga grupo ng abogado sa Integrated Bar of the Philippines na ipanawagan ang kagyat na pagpapalaya kay Saladero at ikondena ang atake sa propesyong ligal.

Govt exploiting justice system to persecute dissenters, says lawmaker

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D’JAY LAZARO, GMANews.TV

10/24/2008 | 02:40 PM

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Friday accused the Arroyo government of “exploiting the justice system” to persecute political dissenters.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano said the latest victim of such tactic is labor lawyer Remigio “Meng ” Saladero Jr., the chief legal counsel of militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and also a lawyer of Anakpawis.

Saladero was arrested Thursday afternoon in Antipolo by combined elements of the Antipolo Police and Military Intelligence Group 4A of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP).

Mariano said Saladero was arrested on the strength of a warrant issued by a court in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro where he was charged with multiple murder, frustrated murder with no bail recommended.

Saladero was detained at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna until Thursday morning and was “hurriedly transferred” to Mindoro for a hearing on the cases against him, said Mariano.

Saladero, along with 26 other leaders and members of local peasant, fisherfolk, workers and urban poor organizations in Southern Tagalog were also implicated in the torching of a Globe cellsite in Lemery, Batangas last August 2.

The accused activists collectively known as the ‘Globe 27’ were charged with arson, inciting to commit rebellion and destruction of property by Globe Telecoms and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“The charges against the ‘Globe 27’ are weak and baseless so the PNP and AFP concocted other cases to pin down Saladero. The latest murder charges against Saladero are fabricated. Accusing a fulltime lawyer of bombing a cell site and murder is simply preposterous,” Mariano said.

Mariano said Saladero, who co-founded Anakpawis in 2003, was helping him in studying the proposed House Bill on Labor Code Amendments and other legislative matters.

The 49-year-old lawyer have expressed concern over Saladero’s arrest because he has heart and diabetic conditions.

Despite his health problems, he reportedl handles more than 700 labor cases.

Mariano said the Arroyo government must be stopped from exploiting the courts and the justice system to persecute activists and leaders of progressive people’s organizations.

“Under Arroyo’s rule, blind justice prevails. The Arroyo government has adopted the dirty tactic of filing fictitious charges against progressive individuals who are actively exposing and opposing corruption and anti-people policies. The main targets of political persecution through legal offensives are progressive labor and peasant leaders,” he said in a press statement.

Mariano also demanded the “surfacing” of Anakpawis provincial coordinator for Rizal, Nestor San Jose, who was abducted by still unidentified armed men at the public market in Teresa, Rizal at around 9 a.m. Friday. He is one of the accused in the Globe 27 case. He remains missing and his whereabouts is still unknown as of this time. - GMANews.TV

MILITANTS’ DEMAND: Release of jailed labor lawyer

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Jeffrey M. Tupas/Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 15:46:00 11/01/2008

DAVAO CITY, Davao Del Sur — Militant groups in Mindanao, including the local chapter of Kilusang Mayo Uno, have called on all workers to continue pushing for the freedom of labor lawyer Remigio “Ka Meng” Saladero Jr.

Saladero was taken from his house in Antipolo City on October 23 by operatives of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) for his alleged role in various communist attacks.

Prior to his arrest, Saladero was to consult with labor unions affiliated with the KMU and present the position paper of the Pro-Labor Assistance Center on a House bill which seeks to amend the Labor Code. He also agreed to attend the First Davao-wide Industrial Summit on November 17.

Robert Lausa, spokesperson of KMU-Southern Mindanao, said the arrest warrants against Saladero “were defective.”

But authorities said aside from his participation in several alleged killings, Saladero was also among 26 New People’s Army rebels who recently burned a cell site of a telecommunications company in Lemery, Batangas.

“This blatant act of terror of the Arroyo regime shows that Malacañang and the military are hell-bent in their intention to persecute patriotic and progressive organizations at all costs and in any manner,” Lausa said.

He said Saladero was known for his being a columnist for Pinoy Weekly and the 700 labor cases he was handling.

“It has become the Arroyo government’s dirty practice to file fictitious and trumped-up charges to neutralize individuals who expose its anti-people policies and corrupt practices, most of which are leading figures in the trade union and peasant movement,” Lausa said.

“We shall hold Gloria Arroyo responsible if anything bad would happen to Atty. Saladero. It is so outrageous that he is now accused of being an NPA. How can a fulltime lawyer, with more than 700 cases and a columnist become an NPA at the same time?” Lausa asked.

He said the government should release the lawyer.

Lausa also called on workers “to rise up against the attacks of this fake, corrupt, and fascist regime.”

“Atty. Saladero has dedicated his life defending the rights and welfare of the workers and the people. It is but a fitting tribute to his sacrifice that we go out into the streets to demand his immediate freedom,” Lausa said.

Qualified theft vs lawyer’s arresters

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INQUIRER.net
First Posted 04:51pm (Mla time) 10/25/2008

MANILA, Philippines — Charges of qualified theft will be filed against members of the raiding team who confiscated lawyer Remigio Saladero Jr.’s computer, laptop and cell phone, various lawyers’ organizations said Saturday after they condemned the lawyer’s “abduction and illegal arrest.”

“We will file criminal and administrative cases against public officials who facilitated the illegal arrest and harassment case against Atty. Saladero and false witnesses who committed perjury in their affidavits,” the organizations said in a press statement e-mailed to media outfits.

The organizations include the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), as well as the Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE), SENTRA, the Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL), the Public Interest Legal Center (PILC), and the International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL)-Philippines Chapter

Saladero, the chief legal counsel of the militant labor alliance Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement), was taken from his house in Antipolo City on purported murder charges. He is now in jail in Mindoro.

“The Supreme Court had chastised the Department of Justice for ‘prostituting their office to harass political opponents of President Arroyo. We will make sure that those responsible for the travesty of Atty. Saladero’s right to due process will be held liable for their participation in the scheme to harass a human rights lawyer who sacrificed so much for the interest of human rights,” they warned.

At the same time, they also asked the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and other professional legal organizations both here and abroad to condemn “this brazen attack on the legal profession” and help release Saladero from detention.

They said the charges against Saladero are trumped up and false. “Saladero, a veteran practicing labor lawyer, is not a member of the New People’s Army and is not a fugitive. He has been openly litigating in courts and has never been involved in any way in any case of arson to blow up Globe cell sites,” they said.

The lawyers groups said the attack against Saladero is a violation of his right to due process as he was never informed of the complaint against him and thus unable to defend himself before the arrest warrant was issued.

They said the labor lawyer’s arrest and detention is also an attack against all lawyers, arguing that Saladero was being harassed for the exercise of his profession.

“The case filed against Saladero is part of the Arroyo government’s attempt to cow human rights advocates critical of [its] policies,” they said, noting that Saladero had argued before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the President’s calibrate pre-emptive response policy.

Saladero, a lawyer for suspected members of the New Peoples’ Army in Rizal, also handles nearly 700 labor cases before various tribunals.

Missing lawyer taken by cops to Mindoro

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DJ Yap, Maricar Cinco/Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: October 25, 2008

MANILA, Philippines – Police have taken into custody the chief legal counsel of the militant labor alliance Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on purported murder charges, drawing criticism for the “Gestapo manner” of his arrest.

Remigio Saladero Jr., 49, was taken from his home in Antipolo City, which also serves as his office, by members of the Calabarzon police on Thursday afternoon.

His arrest and the circumstances surrounding it were known only hours later, after KMU sounded an alarm about his disappearance and the reported state of disarray in his residence, labor leaders said.

Saladero is now at the provincial jail in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, Neri Colmenares, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, said last night.

Colmenares, who, along with Noel Neri, is representing Saladero, said the latter was scheduled for arraignment on Monday.

“But the judge refuses to give a copy of the information. Thus, no one knows the nature of his case,” Colmenares said.

Saladero was arrested on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by Judge Tomas Leynes of the Regional Trial Court of Oriental Mindoro Branch 40, according to KMU information officer Presto Suyat.

House a mess

He is charged with multiple murder and frustrated murder supposedly committed in Mindoro, Suyat said.

“[But] we have never even been there,” said Saladero’s wife Maricel.

Per Suyat’s account, Saladero and his wife were to meet at their house at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

But when Maricel arrived, Saladero was nowhere to be found and the house was a mess.

“The gate and doors were open. The floor was muddy, his CPU (central processing unit) and laptop were missing, things were disarranged. And Saladero was missing,” the Center for Trade Unions and Human Rights said.

KMU chair Elmer Labog said Saladero’s arrest was done “in a Gestapo manner.”

“His personal belongings…were also taken by his captors,” Labog said.

He said Saladero was in “frail health,” and that the KMU would hold the police, military and the Arroyo administration “liable for any untoward incident that may happen” to the lawyer.

Labog also said the cases against Saladero were “fabricated cases concocted by the police and military to persecute leaders of the progressive movement.”

He described Saladero as a San Beda College law graduate who was among the top 20 bar passers in 1984, a law professor at the Lyceum and the Dominican College, and a respected labor lawyer in charge of more than 700 labor cases.

So sue us

But Chief Supt. Ricardo Padilla, the Calabarzon police chief, challenged the militants to substantiate the accusations against his men and to file the appropriate charges.

“I will cut their throats myself” if the allegations were proven true, he said of his men.

Padilla said Calabarzon police had no axe to grind against Saladero, and were merely following a valid court order.

“Saladero was charged with murder and frustrated murder, and we were just enforcing an arrest warrant issued by a competent judge from Calapan,” Padilla said.

“Who is he in our life? We were not the ones who filed the charges against him,” he added.

Padilla said Saladero spent Thursday night in detention at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna and was to be transferred to Calapan Friday for a hearing on his case.

He denied that Saladero’s arrest had been intentionally hidden from the public, and said the lawyer’s family and supporters were allowed inside the camp.

Saladero was reported missing by his kin and counsel on Thursday afternoon; it turned out that he had been taken to Camp Vicente Lim, Neri said.

Midnight visit

Neri and about 47 labor activists arrived at the camp at around 12 midnight Thursday.

But only Neri and Saladero’s wife were able to confer with him in his cell for a few minutes before the on-duty police asked them to leave.

Saladero was taken to Calapan Friday morning, according to Romeo Legaspi, chair of the KMU regional affiliate Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik).

Neri said the arrest warrant released on Oct. 8 contained errors.

He said the name on the warrant was spelled “Remegio” instead of “Remigio” and the address was Los Baños, Laguna, instead of Antipolo, Rizal.

“It’s another propped-up case against him,” Neri said.

According to Neri, Saladero is being charged with murder because he chairs the Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center, which handles “workers’ rights and welfare cases.”

Saladero is also among 26 activists charged with arson and conspiracy to commit rebellion for allegedly burning a Globe cell site in Lemery, Batangas, on Aug. 2.

“He is accused of being a New People’s Army rebel because he has appeared daily in courts,” Neri said.

2 strokes

At the KMU headquarters in Quezon City before noon Friday, a teary-eyed Maricel Saladero said her husband was innocent and could not do the things he was accused of.

“He has already had two strokes and is suffering from diabetes, and even to open canned food is difficult for him,” she told reporters. “He is not an NPA. He is a labor lawyer and is still lawyering.”

Maricel said her husband was alone in their house in Antipolo when he was arrested by police at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“It seems that they waited for him to be alone before they took him,” she said. “I only found out about his arrest at around 9 p.m. on Thursday, when he finally reached me using someone else’s cell phone.”

Dinukot na abogado, kolumnista ng Pinoy Weekly nakadetine sa Calapan City

Original URL

Jeffrey Ocampo/Pinoy Weekly

posted 24-Oct-2008

NAKADETINE si Atty. Remigio Saladero, beteranong labor lawyer, sa provincial jail sa Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental kung saan binabantayan siya ng kanyang mga kaanak at mga miyembro ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) at Center for Trade Union and Human Rights.

Kinumpirma ni Ricardo Padilla, regional police chief ng Calabarzon, na inaresto si Saladero ng mga miyembro ng Philippine National Police (PNP) sa probinsya ng Rizal noong gabi ng Oktubre 23 at dinala sa Camp Vicente Lim sa Laguna. Inilipat siya sa Mindoro Oriental bandang 6:30 ng umaga ngayon, Oktubre 24.

Inaresto si Saladero sa bisa ng warrant of arrest dahil sa kasong multiple murder at multiple frustrated murder na isinampa sa Regional Trial Court ng Calapan City.

Sa Nobyembre 27 gaganapin ang arraignment kay Saladero, ayon sa KMU.

Bago inamin ng PNP na nasa kanilang kamay si Saldero, hindi alam ng mga kaanak ng biktima kung saan ito dinala matapos arestuhin.

Ayon kay Maricel, asawa ni Saladero, nadatnan niya ang kanilang tahanan sa Antipolo na bukas ang pintuan. Magulo ang loob nito at may nawawalang gamit kabilang na ang laptop, cellular phone, at CPU ng kompiyuter.

Kamakailan, kinasuhan din si Saladero, kasama ng 26 pang lider-aktibista sa Timog Katagalugan, ng arson, destruction of property, at conspiracy to commit rebellion para sa panununog diumano ng cell site ng Globe Telecom noong Agosto sa Lemery, Batangas.

Si Saladero, Chief Legal Counsel ng KMU, ay nagsusulat ng regular na kolum sa Pinoy Weekly. Pinamagatang Husgahan Natin, tinatalakay kanyang ng kolum ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa at mga desisyon ng korte hinggil sa mga isyu sa paggawa.

Siya ang board chairman ng Pro Labor Legal Assistance Center, humahawak ng mahigit 700 kaso ng mga manggagawa. Founding member din siya ng National Union of People’s Lawyers at Free Legal Assistance Group. Nag-aral ng abogasya sa San Beda College, nagtapos si Saladero na #17 sa Bar Exams.

Mayroon siyang master’s degree na Industrial Relations at Public Administration sa University of the Philippines Diliman. Nagturo siya ng Political Science, Business Law, at Labor Law sa Dominican College of San Juan at Lyceum College of Law.