Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 1204

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Introduced by Reps. JOEL G. VIRADOR, SATUR C. OCAMPO, TEODORO A. CASIÑO,

LIZA L. MAZA, RAFAEL V. MARIANO
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RESOLUTION
STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE WARRANTLESS ARREST OF BAYAN MUNA
REPRESENTATIVE JOEL G. VIRADOR IN DAVAO CITY LAST FEBRUARY 27,
2006 BY SIX MEMBERS OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND DETECTION
GROUP (CIDG) AS PART OF THE MACAPAGAL-ARROYO GOVERNMENT’S
CRACKDOWN ON ITS CRITICS IN THE MIDST OF MOUNTING AND
WIDESPREAD CALLS FOR MRS. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO’S OUSTER

WHEREAS on February 24, 2006, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation

(PP) 1017 declaring a “State of National Emergency”. Shortly after, Mrs. Arroyo issued General
Order No. 5, directing the chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine
National Police (PNP) to “suppress and prevent acts of terrorism and lawless violence” which
paved the way for the illegal, harsh and warrantless arrests of individuals accused of toppling
the Macapagal-Arroyo government;

WHEREAS on the morning of February 27, 2006, Bayan Muna representative Joel G. Virador
attended an indignation rally held at a public park in San Pedro Street in Davao City in protest of
President Arroyo’s declaration of a State of National Emergency;

WHEREAS at around 2:00 p.m., Rep. Virador, together with his driver Glen Daigdig,
went to the Philippine Airlines ticketing office in Roxas Avenue to re-book his flight for Manila;

WHEREAS while his driver went outside the ticketing office, Rep. Virador was approached by
six (6) armed men in plainclothes who introduced themselves as members of the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region XI led by Sr. Insp. Cholijun Caduyac. The
men arrested him on the spot and held him in custody;

WHEREAS Rep. Virador asked for an arrest warrant which the men failed to show. He then
protested the arrest and demanded seeing his lawyer, but the men manhandled Rep. Virador by
placing him in handcuffs, strangling his neck and dragging him. He was then forcibly brought to
Camp Leonor, the CIDG main office in Davao City, purportedly for interrogation and questioning
after brazenly violating his rights;

WHEREAS aside from manhandling, the CIDG kept him away from the media for hours not until
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Rep. Virador’s lawyers and family members arrived;
WHEREAS the CIDG immediately booked Rep. Virador for a flight to Manila supposedly to
transfer him to the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame. But efforts of his fellow militant solons
and colleagues in Congress ensured that he be directly brought to the House of
Representatives instead;

WHEREAS Mayor Duterte personally escorted Rep. Virador to the latter’s flight to Manila.
Majority Floor Leader and Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, the militant solon’s staff, and
leaders and members of the human rights group KARAPATAN personally fetched Rep. Virador
at the airport;

WHEREAS the illegal arrest of Rep. Virador, the earlier illegal arrest of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin
Beltran, and the subsequent filing of spurious and trumped–up charges of rebellion against
members of the progressive party-list bloc in the House indicates the Macapagal-Arroyo
government’s desperation to hang on to power despite widespread and mounting calls for her
ouster by silencing its critics;

WHEREAS apart from grave economic conditions besetting majority of the Filipino people, calls
for Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo’s removal from office took a stronger turn after reports that she
cheated her way to victory in the 2004 polls by committing massive electoral fraud;

WHEREAS the incident likewise creates a sense of insecurity and vulnerability on the part of
ordinary citizens who see that even government officials themselves are not exempt from such
blatant violations of civil rights;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives strongly condemn

the warrantless arrest of Bayan Muna Rep. Joel G. Virador in Davao City last February 27,
2006 by six members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as part of the
Macapagal-Arroyo government’s crackdown on its critics in the midst of mounting and
widespread calls for Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s ouster.

RESOLVED FINALLY that appropriate measure be recommended against members of the

PNP-CIDG for illegally arresting, temporarily detaining and manhandling Rep. Virador.

Adopted,

JOEL G. VIRADOR SATUR C. OCAMPO TEODORO A. CASIÑO

Bayan Muna Party-List Bayan Muna Party-List Bayan Muna Party-List

LIZA L. MAZA RAFAEL M. MARIANO

Gabriela Women’s Party Anakpawis Party-List