The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) is demanding full accountability following the Court of Appeals’ decision to free 81-year-old Prudencio Cebu “Tatay Pruding” Calubid Jr., who was unlawfully detained for six months under what NUPL calls a “bounty-driven and baseless arrest.”
Calubid Jr. was apprehended under the Department of National Defense–Department of the Interior and Local Government (DND-DILG) Joint Orders on Reward, accused of being a high-ranking member of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
However, the Court found he was misidentified and wrongfully imprisoned despite publicly verifiable records showing his distinct identity. The real Prudencio Calubid—a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)—has been missing since June 26, 2006, after an alleged abduction by military agents.
The Sixteenth Division of the Court of Appeals granted a writ of habeas corpus on a petition filed by Calubid Jr.’s daughter, Analyn Calubid, slamming the police for failing to perform even basic identity verification.
The ruling criticized the so-called surveillance operations, which reportedly relied on Facebook photos, internet searches, and superficial resemblance rather than official documents, including government IDs and employment records submitted by Calubid Jr.
The court highlighted a ₱7.8 million bounty on the real Calubid as a key factor behind the misidentification, noting it fostered a culture of “results-based” law enforcement rather than one anchored in due process.
The incident drew comparisons to the case of Rolly Panesa, another civilian wrongfully detained under similar circumstances.
In a sharply worded ruling, the Court warned that such systemic failures threaten to erode public trust in law enforcement and government institutions, stating, “This case does not exist in a vacuum… it sends the wrong message to the public… that fundamental rights may be easily overlooked for convenience, carelessness, or, possibly, personal and selfish gains.”
The NUPL said it is actively considering legal action against those responsible for the wrongful arrest and imprisonment, emphasizing that the damages inflicted—legal, psychological, and reputational- cannot go unanswered. (ZIA LUNA)
