Supreme Court orders SolGen Calida to submit drug war records

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3) - The Supreme Court has ordered the government's top lawyer to submit documents on the drug war, it announced on Tuesday.

The court denied the motion of Solicitor General Jose Calida to withhold submission of the administration's records on the war on illegal drugs.

Calida was told to comply within 15 days notice.

In an appeal filed in December, the Solicitor General said official records, including the drug watch list and list of high-valued target arrests, contain information and other sensitive matters that "in the long run will have undeniable effect on national security."

During the December 5, 2017 oral arguments on the petitions against war on drugs, the court directed the Office of Solicitor-General (OSG) to submit within 60 days documents on the following:

List of persons killed in legitimate police operations from July 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017

List of deaths under investigation from July 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017

List of Chinese and Fil-Chinese drug lords who have been neutralized

List of drugs involved whether shabu, cocaine, marijuana, opioids, etc.

Comparative tables in index crimes

Statistics of internal cleansing within the police force

Drug watchlists in affected areas

List of warrants and warrantless arrests in High Value Target (HVT) police operations

List of cases under investigation under Internal Affairs Service

The OSG said the right to information, with its companion right of access to official records, is not absolute.

The Constitution provides that the people's right to know is limited to "matters of public concern," it pointed out.

"Their submission would not only compromise ongoing police anti-drug operations but likewise put at risk the lives of informants who provide such information," Calida said.

The OSG also said the Supreme Court order might set a dangerous precedent for pending and future amparo petitions.

The writ of amparo is "a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity."

The OSG said this would open the floodgates for the filing of baseless cases that "aim at nothing other than engaging in fishing expeditions."

"moreover, amparo petitions may be utilized and manipulated by drug syndicates themselves to discover the amount of confidential information that the government has against them," it noted.

Calida said in requiring the submission of documents, the Supreme Court has "ventured into unwarranted factual inquiries," adding it is not a trier of facts.

"In resolving constitutional issues, it is not allowed to received and weigh evidence," Calida said of the High Court.

CNN Philippines Senior Digital Producer Eimor P. Santos contributed to this report.