By Dulce Amor Rodriguez

MANILA — Lawyers from four legal aid and public-interest groups condemned what they called the continued filing of baseless criminal charges against nine people, mostly students, who joined the September 21 protest against alleged corrupt flood control projects.

The Philippine National Police filed inciting to sedition, conspiracy and proposal to commit sedition, and sedition under the Revised Penal Code against 97 individuals over the September 21 protest, according to a report.

In a joint statement released Nov. 11, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), Public Interest Law Center (PILC), Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (SENTRA) and Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) said the filing of these charges “amounted to the weaponization of the criminal justice system and an attempt to intimidate citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to speech, expression and peaceful assembly.”

“The filing of such charges not only weaponizes the criminal justice system against dissent but also seeks to intimidate ordinary citizens from exercising their constitutional freedoms of speech, expression, and assembly,” the joint statement read.

The protesters, who condemned the alleged anomalous flood control projects, were earlier cleared of similar complaints for lack of evidence. But police revived the case and filed it in court, this time alleging that the demonstration involved “armed individuals.” The lawyers’ groups said no new evidence was presented to support this claim.

“The fact that the case was initially referred for further investigation, and that no new evidence was presented by the complaining police personnel, underscores the lack of basis for the charges,” the statement read. “Despite the absence of probable cause, much less any reasonable certainty of conviction, their cases were nevertheless filed in court.”

The filing raised the bail amount to P48,000 ($820) per accused—an amount the groups called grossly excessive for the students and part-time workers arrested.

According to the lawyers, increasing the bail based on unproven allegations of armed activity violates the constitutional safeguard against excessive bail, enshrined in Article III, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution.

The lawyers reminded the public that those who exposed the alleged corruption behind the flood control projects remain uninvestigated, while protesters face legal reprisals.

The four organizations urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review and withdraw the baseless charges immediately, and to hold accountable those responsible for weaponizing the criminal justice process. They also called on civil-society groups and the public to remain vigilant.

“No one should be criminalized for standing up against corruption,” the lawyers’ statement concluded.

The lawyers vowed to continue defending the accused and to pursue counteractions against those who filed the charges. (RVO)