IMPORTANT: Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra says he has recommended that those caught "violating" quarantine rules shall just be subjected to community service "rather than imprison or rather than putting them in jail or fining them" @rapplerdotcom
After a year of subjecting quarantine violators to detention and prosecution under RA 11332, Guevarra admitted that "medyo hindi siya shoot na shoot eh, hindi sya talagang very exact to the actual violation, kaya we are relying more on the ordinances issued by LGUs"
Guevarra says he has recommended these to the IATF in their last meeting.
This policy change came only a year after thousands were already arrested, their releases severely delayed. Take a look at this chart we did in June 2020 when courts and prosecutorial dockets could not keep up, keeping thousands in jail. rappler.com/newsbreak/coro…
As courts and prosecutors dropped RA 11332 cases, the urban poor community of San Roque still stands trial over the same law. The San Roque residents waited for a promised food aid, were arrested and subject of one of Duterte's midnight rants last year. rappler.com/nation/san-roq…
Guevarra said MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos told him "he would immediately request all MMDA mayors/councils to review their existing ordinances on the enforcement of health protocols, and seriously consider imposing community service as an alternative penalty."
NUPL president @OlaliaEdre on the policy change: "It is not only enraging but tragic that hundreds of our citizens who do not have the same entitlements as those in the corridors of power had to endure injustice through a patently erroneous reading of a vague law."
Olalia: That it comes more than a year to have epiphany says a lot about the mess we are all in.
FULL STORY: rappler.com/nation/doj-now…
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