Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said journalist Lady Ann Salem was arrested with six other individuals on Thursday.
CIDG said the operation was carried out as part of the police’s campaign against “loose firearms and criminal gangs.”
Mark Ryan Cruz, Romina Raiselle Astudillo, Jaymie Gregorio, Dennise Velasco, Joel Demate, and Rodrigo Esparago were also arrested in separate raids.
Authorities said they recovered four calibers .45 pistols, four grenades, four caliber .45 magazines, and 29 rounds of caliber .45 ammunition, and other items from the house of journalist Salem and Esparago.
Meanwhile, the CIDG also confiscated several ammunitions and firearms from the residences of the other arrested individuals.
Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 89 issued the raids’ search warrants, CIDG said.
Earlier, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) urged the Supreme Court to review the “seemingly irregular” issuance by Burgos-Villavert of warrants, which led to numerous police raids in Bacolod City and arrests of activists.
Journalist Salem arrested with six others – CIDG
Salem works as the editor of Manila Today and the communications officer of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT).
Aside from Lady Ann Salem, police forces arrested activist workers’ organizer Dennise Velasco yesterday on International Human Rights Day.
According to the group Defend Jobs Philippines, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested Dennise Velasco at 2 am after being issued a search warrant by Quezon City Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert.
Last week, slain National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant and Anakpawis chairman Randy Echanis’ daughter Amanda Echanis was arrested, and her one-month-old son Barangay Carupian in Baggao, Cagayan.
The police also carried out a search warrant issued by Judge Sheila Gacutan-Labuguen of the MTC 2nd Judicial Region (dated November 27, 2020).
During the search, authorities seized one unit M16 ARIS Colt 5.56mm assault rifle with serial number 4951346, one-piece long plastic magazine for M16 rifle, one piece long steel magazine for M16 rifle, six pieces live ammunition for M16 rifle, thirteen pieces live ammunition for M16 rifle, one piece live ammo for M16 rifle extracted from the chamber of the M16 rifle, one piece hand grenade with marking 0689, one piece hand grenade with marking frag MK2 with lot no.p-4-105-78 and subsequent arrest of Randy Echanis’ daughter.