Magdalo asks CA to stop DOJ panel investigating sedition complaint

Mara Cepeda

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Magdalo asks CA to stop DOJ panel investigating sedition complaint

Rappler

But Magdalo's Gary Alejano and Jonnell Sangalang file their petition with the Court of Appeals on the same day the DOJ panel wrapped up its investigation

MANILA, Philippines – Former Magdalo representative Gary Alejano and his party mate Jonnell Sangalang have asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel investigating the inciting to sedition complaint against the opposition. 

Alejano and Sangalang filed with the CA a petition for prohibition against the DOJ panel on Thursday, September 12. (READ: FLAG on sedition complaint: DOJ panel invalid

In the same petition, Alejano and Sangalang also questioned why the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) represented the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) – which filed the sedition complaint against key opposition figures – in the preliminary investigation. 

They argued the participation of the DOJ panel and OSG in the sedition probe violated the Prosecution Service Act, the Administrative Code, and Presidential Decree No. 478, which specified the powers of the OSG.  

“It’s obvious that this administration is using these two agencies for political persecution, to bully its critics, in deliberate deviance (sic) of the Prosecution Service Act, PD 478, and the Administrative Code,” said Alejano.

“It is our position that the Court should intervene to stop this continuing and deliberate disregard of the law,” he added. 

The petition, however, was filed on the same day the DOJ already wrapped up its preliminary investigation on the sedition complaint. According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report, the DOJ panel finished its probe after all of the respondents – except Alejano and Sangalang – submitted their counter-affidavits.

The CIDG had based its complaint on the affidavit of the flip-flopping Advincula who, in a series of videos that circulated online, initially accused Duterte, his son and Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, Senator Bong Go, and others of having links to the illegal drug trade. – Rappler.com

 

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Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.