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Strong Opposition to the Candidacy of Judge Cecilyn Burgos Villavert
Dear Members of the Judicial and Bar Council,
I hope this message finds you well, although the subject matter is far from peaceful. Upon visiting your organization's Facebook page, I came across the list of applicants for various positions, including Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA), Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan (SB), and Ombudsman Special Prosecutor (OSP).
I was particularly dismayed to see the name of Judge Cecilyn Burgos Villavert among the candidates. This prompted me to write this letter in strong opposition to her candidacy for the positions of CA and SB.
As a former political prisoner who fell victim to the issuance of questionable search warrants by Judge Villavert, I cannot stay silent. Between 2018 and 2020, this judge issued numerous questionable search warrants that led to the arrest and filing of trumped-up charges against 76 activists.
Judge Villavert's controversial decisions were based on SC Administrative Order AM No. 03-8-02, which was later reviewed and amended by the Supreme Court due to the efforts of human rights organizations and civil libertarians. During that time, issuing search warrants was used by state security forces under President Duterte's command to arrest and even kill activists.
Following the Supreme Court's decision, we called for a judicial audit to hold abusive judges like Judge Villavert accountable for their actions, which were in collusion with the Duterte administration and former PNP Chief Debold Sinas. There is clear evidence that Judge Villavert abused her position to violate the rights of those activists she targeted. The majority of cases based on her issued search warrants were eventually dismissed by the RTC and CA.
The court handling my case declared that the search warrant issued by Judge Villavert violated my constitutional rights and the rules of court. Nearly four years later, four of my colleagues from the Human Rights Day 7 remain in jail due to the same search warrant issued by Villavert.
Esteemed activists such as Vic Ladlad, Alberto and Virginia Villamor, and Renante Gamara continue to suffer in jail due to fabricated cases based on search warrants issued by Judge Villavert.
Where is the justice in allowing Judge Villavert, who has a track record of human rights violations, to seek positions in the judiciary? We are still awaiting the Supreme Court's promise to review complaints against judges involved in human rights violations, especially Judge Villavert.
I am appealing for the immediate disqualification of Judge Cecilyn Burgos Villavert from being considered for a higher position in court. We fear she could cause further damage to the justice system and society as a whole.
Sincerely,
Dennise Velasco
Former Political Prisoner
Human Rights Day 7