From an earlier position that presumption of innocence can be waived, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo now says it must be upheld in the case of resigned police chief Oscar Albayalde.
Panelo defended Albayalde’s presumption of innocence in a media interview on Oct. 14, the same day Albayalde quit his post amid the “ninja cops” controversy. He said, “all people accused of any crime or transgression” should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise, as stated in the 1987 Constitution.
A recent Senate investigation, originally on the good conduct time allowance issue, had unearthed a drug recycling incident in Mexico, Pampanga, in 2013 carried out by 13 rogue police officers, who have since been branded as “ninja cops.” The incident also implicated Albayalde, who was Pampanga provincial director at the time.
But seven months ago, the spokesman offered a different argument when he defended the Duterte government’s decision to release a list of names of alleged narco-politicians who were running in the May midterm elections.
Panelo at the time said one’s presumption of innocence can be “waived” and that accusations hurled against public officials are “fair game.”
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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Panelo twists argument on presumption of innocence from VERA Files on Vimeo.
Sources
CNN Philippines, The Source: Sal Panelo, Oct. 14, 2019
Official Gazette, 1987 Constitution
PTV, PRRD reveals names in narco-list, March 16, 2019
RTVMalacanang, Joint National Peace and Order Council (NPOC) – Regional Peace Order Council (RPOC) Clusters, March 15, 2019
ABS-CBN News, Early Edition: Alleged narco-politicos ‘waived’ right to presumption of innocence — Panelo, March 5, 2019
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