ILOILO CITY—A former congressman of the Bayan Muna party-list lamented the denial of a local court here for his petition of writ of amparo, and maintained that he still feared for his life.
“I am deeply frustrated with the dismissal of my petition. The court says there is no threat to my life and security,” said Siegfred Deduro in a statement sent to The Manila Bulletin.
Late in October, Deduro sought court protection after allegedly being named as one of the top officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA).
But Judge Nestle Go of the Regional Trial Court (RTC-Branch 24) junked Deduro’s petition for lack of evidence.
When Deduro filed for a writ of amparo, he initially accused the commanding general of the Philippine Army Third Infantry Division (3rd ID) for tagging him as a CPP-NPA officer during a June meeting of the Iloilo Provincial Peace and Order Council (Iloilo PPOC).
While Deduro later retracted his statement and said it was not Major General Eric Vinoya who accused him as CPP-NPA leader, he maintained it was still the 3rd ID as a military organization, which did so.
For Deduro though, the RTC-Branch 24 decision of not even calling for a hearing was unfair.
“I believe that being accused by the 3ID as the number three leader of the CPP in Panay, carries with it a serious threat to my life and security,” Deduro added.
Deduro noted he still feared for his life after the killing of Jory Porquia, a former Bayan Muna Iloilo City Coordinator last April.
This also came after Jeffrey Celiz, a former Ilonggo activist, had come out and tagged members of left-leaning groups, including Bayan Muna, as members of the CPP-NPA.