Human rights lawyer Harry Roque Jr. on Monday filed contempt charges before the Supreme Court (SC) against AFP chief of staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Camp Aguinaldo camp commander Brig. General Arthur Ang and AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc.
By: Brian Maglungsod, InterAksyon.com | November 11, 2014 5:41 AM
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MANILA, Philippines – Human rights lawyer Harry Roque Jr. on Monday filed contempt charges before the Supreme Court (SC) against AFP chief of staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Camp Aguinaldo camp commander Brig. General Arthur Ang and AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc.
In his petition, Roque, who is also helping the family of murdered transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude said the High Tribunal should cite the said officials for contempt for violation of the rules, specifically Section 18, Rule 139-B of the Rules of Court, when they publicized that they would be filing a disbarment case against him before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
“Their act of repeatedly publicizing their threats to file a disbarment suit against Petitioner, and the filing itself of the said suit, violate the confidentiality rule covering a disbarment case,” Roque said in his petition that he personally filed before the SC.
In publicizing the filing of the disbarment proceeding against him, Roque said Catapang, Ang and Cabunoc conspired with each other to attack and malign his personal and professional standing.
“Respondents, by repeatedly making pronouncements in public about Petitioner’s alleged transgressions of professional ethics, and by publicizing their filing of a disbarment suit against him already put to question his professional and personal reputation. They had no other purpose in doing so than to malign him, his person, and his professional standing as a lawyer,” he said.
He said that the military announced its plan to push through with the filing of the proceedings against him in a press conference last November 3 and 4 and in a press statement posted on the AFP’s website.
The AFP filed the case against Roque, saying he egged Laude’s sister and his fiancé German national Marc Sueselbeck to breach the security at Camp Aguinaldo, the AFP‘s general headquarters, to see US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton who was detained there for allegedly killing Laude.
Roque has denied the military’s claim.