THE PNP SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED - Free Lejun dela Cruz!
Partido Sosyalista calls for the immediate release of progressive leader and partylist nominee Lejun Dela Cruz, who is in police custody following what appears to be a failed extrajudicial killing by the Philippine National Police on February 2. We vehemently reject the official narrative due to the PNP's long history of deception, systemic incompetence, and outright brutality. Critical gaps in the PNP’s story, combined with its bloodstained credibility, suggest that the operation was an illegal abduction and a premeditated act of violence under the guise of law enforcement.
According to the NCRPO EPD, Lejun was arrested in Pasig City. He was reported missing much earlier by Magsasaka Partylist in the Cainta, Rizal area. He was approached by unidentified armed men in plainclothes, who opened fire at him without provocation while on his way home from a friend's house in Cainta. He was chased and cornered in Pasig, and then beaten before being taken to a police station three hours later.
The PNP claims a "successful arrest" was conducted by officers in plainclothes, not official uniform. However, this act of serving warrants through armed officers in plainclothes, during which they surround their target, is grossly irresponsible in a country where extrajudicial violence is a common affair. It allows the police to justify violence towards its targets through the ‘nanlaban’ (resisted arrest) narrative.
This is compounded by the fact that Lejun dela Cruz has been a public figure for years. He has consistently engaged in legal political work, attended domestic and international events, and maintained known residences and offices. As many have pointed out, these are venues where the warrant could have been served peacefully and properly. This raises alarming questions about intent, particularly given the violent details of the operation:
Dela Cruz’s vehicle was riddled with gunfire, and he was injured.
Video evidence from Magsasaka Partylist shows police threatening a member trailing Dela Cruz at gunpoint.
The PNP alleges he possessed a weapon but failed to conduct standard forensic tests (e.g., fingerprinting, paraffin analysis).
A suspicious delay occurred between his apprehension and formal processing.
There is no justification for the way the police has conducted its operation.
The pretense of the police operation is the serving of warrants of arrest for murder, including a 1992 case. This warrant was issued way back in 2018, which raises further questions about why the PNP decided to act on it now, and in this manner. Lejun dela Cruz was a communist guerrilla, a member of the ABB. But it is already stipulated in the December 2000 Peace Agreement between the Philippine government and the RPMP/RPA-ABB that those from the RPMP/RPA-ABB have legal immunity for acts committed prior to the agreement. As a member of the negotiating panel who helped bring about this peace agreement, Lejun has long returned to the legal and electoral process.
We are reminded of the long history of police violence in this country. President Marcos Jr, who has long claimed to be an advocate of the peace process, must take decisive action to rein the PNP in and ensure that the truth in this matter is found. The PNP’s impunity persists because the carceral system prioritizes punishment over justice, targeting activists and dissidents instead of addressing root causes of conflict.
Partido Sosyalista calls for:
the immediate release of Lejun dela Cruz, and the dropping of all charges against him from the botched police operation;
the investigation of and accountability measures for all PNP personnel who were involved in this operation;
the overhaul of PNP protocols to ban plainclothes arrests, mandate body cameras, and ensure transparency.
the demilitarization of the police and transition toward community-centered safety models, paving the way for the eventual abolition of the carceral system.
Partido Sosyalista stands with all victims of state violence. We urge the public to reject the PNP’s lies, pressure politicians to honor peace agreements, and join the fight for a system that values justice over repression.
🚩 FREE LEJUN DELA CRUZ!
🚩 END POLICE VIOLENCE!
