81-year-old man wrongfully jailed to receive compensation, says PNP Chief

• PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III confirmed that the 81-year-old wrongly jailed man is entitled to compensation under a law for the wrongfully convicted, with the amount depending on court ruling
• The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemnedthe six-month detention of Prudencio “Tatay Pruding” Calubid Jr., saying he was mistaken for a missing CPP-NPA leader last seen in 2006
• NUPL criticized the reward system, pointing to the ₱7.8 million bounty on the real Calubid as a factor that encourages results over due process, endangering innocent civilians
• The Court of Appeals ruled that police failed to conduct proper verification before arresting the elderly man, leading to his wrongful imprisonment

An 81-year-old man who was wrongfully imprisoned will be eligible for government compensation, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Unfortunately, may napagkamalian but that person can invoke now yung compensation. Mayroon tayong batas na nagko-compensate sa mga taong wrongfully convicted,” PNP Chief Police General Nicolas Torre III said during a press briefing on Monday.

Torre noted that the compensation amount would depend on the court’s decision.

He also pledged to look into the circumstances of the elderly man's arrest.

“We will give you more details kapag nakuha namin. Pasensya na kayo hindi pa namin na-examine ang issue na ‘yan. We'll do a close examination. Magbibigay kami ng statement regarding that matter,” he assured.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemned the six-month detention of Prudencio “Tatay Pruding” Calubid Jr., who was allegedly mistaken for a high-ranking Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) leader.

“Police officials claimed they had apprehended Prudencio Calubid,” the NUPL said. “But the real Prudencio Calubid… has been a *desaparecido* since June 26, 2006.”

NUPL pointed out there is a ₱7.8 million bounty for the real Calubid’s arrest.

They criticized the practice of rewarding arrests, stating: “In such a system… law enforcement agencies… are incentivized not to uphold justice, but to deliver ‘results’… Innocent civilians, especially the poor, become expendable.”

A 67-page Court of Appeals decision found that police failed to properly verify if the arrested man matched the identity named in criminal charges and warrants.

News, photos, or videos that arouse the interest of netizens would often go viral on social media, due to the attention netizens give them. These viral posts appeal to the emotions of netizens, and in rare cases, this could also happen to ordinary people, making them very relatable.

In other news, the annual Wattah Wattah Festival in San Juan City was briefly disrupted by a confrontation between two youth groups, resulting in a broken bottle and an injury. Law enforcement quickly intervened to address the scuffle, providing first aid to the injured individual and launching an investigation, allowing the festival to largely proceed.

Still in other news, a man ended up in jail after he allegedly assaulted his live-in-partner over a game of Scatter. According to the report of Brigada News Philippines, the incident happened on June 23, Purok Ilaya, Brgy. Tuyan, Naga, Cebu. The suspect, Satur, is 29 years old, while the victim, Mae, is 24. Mae said that the suspect borrowed her cellphone, and she suspected that he used her e-wallet to play on Scatter, eventually leading to an argument and to the assault.

Source: KAMI.com.gh