KARAPATAN decried the continuing judicial harassment by former NTF-ELCAC vice chair Hermogenes Esperon Jr. of its officers as well as those of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) and Gabriela.
Esperon, with the NTF-ELCAC’s backing, had filed a trumped-up case of perjury against ten KARAPATAN National Council members, two officers of the RMP and the chair and secretary general of Gabriela in 2019 in retaliation for being impleaded in a petition for amparo and habeas data filed by the respondents.
The respondents were acquitted of the perjury charges in January 2023, after an exhaustive trial spanning four years. Respondents from KARAPATAN who were acquitted are its Chairperson Elisa Tita Lubi, Cristina Palabay, Roneo “Jigs” Clamor, Gabriela Krista “Kiri” Dalena, Edita Burgos, Fr. Wilfredo Ruazol, and Jose Mari Callueng.
Esperon, however, and his coterie at the NTF-ELCAC, have refused to recognize the finality of judgment rendered by the courts and accused Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 139 Presiding Judge Aimee Alcera, who issued the ruling, of having abused her discretion. Esperon filed a motion for reconsideration in March 2023 at the MTC, which upheld its ruling. He then raised the issue before the Regional Trial Court (RTC), which affirmed the MTC’s decision in February 2024.
After being stymied in their attempts to overturn the acquittal at the MTC and RTC levels, they are now turning to the Court of Appeals where Esperon has filed a Notice of Appeal. On December 27, 2024, the respondents filed a joint memorandum at the Court of Appeals.
KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay has described Esperon’s move as “an act of desperation.” “He and his NTF-ELCAC cabal have an obsessive urge to persecute us, and are deluded enough to think they can succeed, despite having been thwarted at every turn for lack of merit,” said Palabay.
“Filing these frivolous and retaliatory charges with our seriously backlogged courts is also a monumental waste of time and public funds,” added Palabay. “The courts should be pursuing cases against corrupt public officials and notorious human rights violators instead of going after human rights defenders,” she said.
“We strongly denounce this continuing harassment against human rights defenders,” stressed Palabay. “We demand an end to the attacks and reiterate our call for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC,” she added. “Despite the challenges presented by these attacks, we will continue to demand justice for all victims of human rights violations.”
