Assault on legal profession

Press statement
Statement on the assault on Atty. Merbehn Lumbo
December 8, 2016

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) Panay expresses its grave concern on the highhandedness displayed by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) this morning for roughing up, arresting, handcuffing and detaining a colleague in the legal profession, Atty. Marbehn Lumbo, who was only exercising his professional duty of protecting a client.
Atty. Lumbo has rightly responded to his client, Melvin Odicta Jr., who sought his legal aid when PDEA agents raided his residence in Molo, Iloilo City. He had not done anything to stop the law enforcers from conducting the raid: all he asked was to read the copy of the search warrant, if any.
The raiders answered that the warrant was only for illegal drugs allegedly kept at the residence of his client . However, on seeing cash and jewelries being collected by the raiders instead of illegal drugs, Atty. Lumbo vehemently objected and at that point, PDEA agents roughed him up, handcuffed him even as they vowed to sue him for “obstruction of justice”.
We view this highhandedness an assault against the legal profession. As lawyers, we have a sworn duty to defend our clients regardless of their guilt or innocence.
At that instant when he was handcuffed, Atty. Lumbo was merely exercising his duty as member of the bar.
As lawyers, we also have a sworn duty to protect human rights which Atty. Lumbo has performed at the raid scene. He has all the duty to protest the seisure of cash and jewelries which are not subject of the search warrant; and we say that such act is thievery and brazen abuse of power, to which every conscientious lawyer and student of law must stand up against.
Atty. Lumbo has all the duty to defend his client from such abuse and robbery.
We urge fellow lawyers to be vigilant in these interesting times when summary killings have already claimed the lives of 5,800 persons mostly from poor communities. The statistics is rising because the perpetrators mostly members of the PNP apparently enjoy impunity because no less than the President himself assured them so.
The other group of suspects, vigilantes, are also enjoying the license to join the bloodbath because of Pres. Duterte's frequent loose pronouncements that de facto already sentenced mere drug suspects and pushers to death.
Iloilo City
December 8, 2016
Atty. Rene Estocapio
NUPL-Panay Secretary General
Reference:
Atty. Teopisto S. Melliza
Spokesperson

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