(Eagle News)–“A cheap political stunt and vendetta.”
This was how Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate described the P1-million bounty offered by the Citizens Crime Watch for the arrest of four militant leaders for supposed murder.
“This is evidently a cheap political stunt and vendetta by sycophants who wants (sic) to claw their way to power,” he said.
According to Zarate, if anything happens to Liza Maza, Rafael Mariano, Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño, “we will hold (lawyer Ferdinand) Topacio, et.al. directly responsible.”
Topacio is the CCW head who announced the offer on Saturday, Aug. 4.
Zarate said that in the first place, the charges of murder filed against the four were “used for political persecution of progressives and they are reviving it now for the same purpose.”
The arrest warrants issued by a Palayan, Nueva Ecija court, he said, should have therefore been dismissed.
“Instead of going after four Makabayan leaders, why don’t Topacio et al go after the cohorts of Janet Lim-Napoles who defrauded Filipinos of billions of pesos or the big time drug lords who are still very much active under the present administration?” Zarate asked.
