Push Admin

DOJ panel asked to reverse ruling on labor leader's killing

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

MANILA – A Department of Justice panel has been asked to reverse its dismissal of the murder complaint against 17 policemen over the death of labor leader Manny Asuncion.The plea was made in a motion for reconsideration filed Thursday by Asuncion’s camp through the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.The camp also asked the head of the DOJ’s panel of prosecutors, Rodan Parocha, to inhibit himself from the case over alleged bias.Speaking with ANC’s Rundown, lawyer Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog said the dismissal of Asuncion’s murder case is “incredible.”“I think the immediate dismissal of Manny Asuncion’s case is really incredible. It took a long time before the case was finally decided, but obviously it was hastily dismissed by the DOJ under the AO35,” he said.“And this doesn’t sit well with the family as well as organizations wherein Manny Asuncion as well as ours belong to.”Labog also noted that the murder case seemed to have been resolved hastily.“I think they were trying to hastily resolve the case at the time when the (International Labor Organization) High Level Tripartite Mission were coming into the country to investigate the gravity of the killings and the various complaints of the trade union movement specially red-tagging, trumped up charges, kidnapping, and the like.”“And this doesn’t really sit well with the observation of the international mission in terms of the respect of the right to organize as well as to engage…in collective bargaining negotiations,” he noted.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/01/24/23/union-organizing-not-a-crime">Workers&#x27; groups assert right to organize</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/16/23/labor-group-press-dole-doj-to-act-on-attacks-vs-workers">Labor group press DOLE, DOJ to act on attacks vs workers</a></li></ul>A DOJ panel last week dismissed the complaint filed against the 17 cops for supposed insufficiency of evidence. Asuncion was among 9 activists killed during simultaneous raids in the Calabarzon region in March 2021, in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/17/23/doj-panel-junks-murder-raps-vs-17-cops-over-bloody-sunday-killing">DOJ panel junks murder raps vs 17 cops over labor leader&#x27;s killing</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/19/23/fortun-doj-panel-twisted-my-findings-on-manny-asuncion-case">Fortun: DOJ panel &#x27;twisted&#x27; my findings on Manny Asuncion case</a></li></ul><div>--ANC, 27 January 2023</div>

A DOJ panel has been asked to reverse its dismissal of the murder complaint against 17 policemen over the death of labor leader Manny Asuncion.