A group of lawmakers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Sunday urged the Duterte administration to throw out the “baseless” kidnapping and human trafficking charges against ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro. ADVERTISEMENTCharles Santiago, a Malaysian parliament member and chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), noted that Castro was the latest opposition lawmaker to be indicted and jailed under the Duterte administration. Fabricated charges“The systematic attempts by the Duterte administration to use fabricated criminal charges against members of the opposition are deeply worrying and must end immediately,” Santiago said in a statement. Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison on Saturday condemned the arrests and warned that the Duterte administration would “accelerate their dirty work” by using the same tactic against progressive militants. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo brushed off Sison’s complaint on Sunday, saying the activists were given due process and allowed bail.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 02, 2018 23:15 UTC