‘Forgotten’ Quadcomm police officer detainee files ‘habeas corpus’ writ
Detained despite lack of legislative necessity, absence of court warrant
POLICE Colonel Hector Grijaldo, an active police officer who was cited in contempt and ordered detained last year by the special ‘Quad Committee’ (Quadcomm) of the House of Representatives then apparently ‘forgotten’ due to the midterm polls, has filed a ‘writ of habeas corpus’ before the Court of Appeals to regain his freedom.
Thru his counsel, the Go & De Guzman Law Offices, Grijaldo filed the petition last May 23, nearly six months after he was ordered detained by the Quadcomm on December 14, 2024 for failure to attend previous committee hearings due to medical reasons.
Respondents to the petition under Rule 102 of the Rules of Court are Surigao del Norte representatives and overall chair, Robert Ace Barbers, concurrent chair of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs; Abang Lingkod Partylist representative and Committee on Accounts chair, Joseph Stephen Paduano.
Paduano is also known as ‘Carapali Lualhati’ in the local communist terrorist movement as spokesperson and hitman of the notorious communist hit squad, ‘Alex Boncayao Brigade’ (ABB); Laguna representative and Committee on Public Order and Safety chair, Dan Fernandez; and, Manila representative and Committee on Human Rights chair, Benny Abante. Also included in the petition is the Office of the Solicitor General.
Grijaldo got the ire of the so-called ‘House Gang of Four’ after claiming he was being cajoled by Fernandez and Abante to confirm that reward money is being given to police officers participating in the ‘War on Drugs’ during the Duterte administration.
His claim shook the Quadcomm’s public credibility as it tend to validate suspicion that its hearing is nothing more than a political hatchet job against the former president and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
Initially detained within the premises of the House of Representatives, Grijaldo was transferred on January 21, 2025, to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 6, the police precinct near the Batasan Complex, where he remains incarcerated.
The petition noted that Grijaldo’s continued detention without due process or demonstrable legislative necessity constitutes a severe violation of his fundamental constitutional rights,
including due process, personal liberty, humane treatment, and the protection against
self-incrimination.
It argues that his prolonged detention has become effectively punitive rather than coercive, causing him undue and unjustified hardship.
Abandoned to his fate
Grijaldo also revealed that he has not been given basic necessities by the Quad Committee such as sustenance and medical care since his transfer to the QCPD Station 6.
Compounding these conditions, the Philippine National Police (PNP) under Chief PNP PGen. Romeo Marbil, has placed him on leave without pay since December 13, 2024, to his and his family’s detriment.
The filing emphasizes violations under both Philippine and international human rights laws, specifically citing the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
It also asserts that the conditions and duration of Colonel Grijaldo’s detention are unjustifiable and arbitrary.
It also pointed out that established Philippine jurisprudence clarifies that legislative contempt
powers cannot authorize indefinite detention nor punitive actions absent a clear legislative purpose.
With no further hearings scheduled and no continuing legislative need demonstrated, Grijaldo’s detention is manifestly arbitrary and contravenes both domestic constitutional guarantees and international human rights standards.
The petition pointed out that Grijaldo’s continued detention has already exceeded all lawful bounds, has served no legislative purpose, and is effectively a punitive measure equivalent to the criminal penalty of arresto mayor.
It also pointed out that Grijaldo is being detained despite not being convicted of any crime nor a warrant of arrest issued against him by any court.
Such detention is inherently punitive, retributive, and unconstitutional, necessitating immediate cessation, the petition stressed further.
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