In a series of tweets, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno bared he has taken on a case involving a person subpoenaed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for allegedly airing sentiments on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a document posted on Twitter, the person in question is being summoned by the NBI for alleged “unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances in connection with (his) publicly posted article concerning an alleged misuse of government funds.”
Di lang si Mayor Vico. Pati ordinaryong mamamayang nagpo-post ng hinaing online, pinapatawag ng NBI. Tinanggap ko ang kasong ito dahil di na makatao ang nangyayari. Ang dami nang namamatay, pati frontliners, pero imbis na COVID, kritiko ang gusto nilang puksain. #ProtectThePeople pic.twitter.com/IoGjLQk1wr
— Chel Diokno (@ChelDiokno) April 2, 2020
The NBI confirmed the subpoena is authentic, stating that it is related to a case currently under investagtion.
NBI Spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin confirms authenticity of subpoena: Yes it appears to be our subpoena in relation to a case under investigation | @anjocalimario
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) April 2, 2020
Diokno slammed the subpoena and called it inhumane. “I accepted this case because what’s happening is already inhumane. There are many people dying, even the frontliners, but instead of COVID, it is the critics they want to eliminate,” said Diokno.
As of April 1, there were 2,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 850 cases pending test results. There were 1,101 PUIs, 6,321 PUMs, 50 recoveries, and 96 deaths.
