Elderly man jailed by mistake, NUPL demands action

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) is calling for accountability following the six-month wrongful detention of an 81-year-old man who was mistakenly arrested and falsely identified as a communist rebel.

Prudencio Calubid Jr., known as “Tatay Pruding,” was arrested under a DND-DILG Joint Order on Reward, which listed a P7.8 million bounty for the real Prudencio Calubid — a desaparecido since 26 June 2006, when he, his wife Celina Palma, and two companions were abducted by suspected military agents.

In a statement, the NUPL said, “Tatay Pruding’s case is not one of simple mistaken identity. It is a case of deliberate misidentification, motivated by the perverse incentives of a bounty system, and carried out with gross disregard for the most basic standards of law enforcement, due process, and human dignity.”

The Court of Appeals ordered Calubid Jr.'s release after granting a habeas corpus petition filed by his daughter. In its 67-page decision, the CA found that police relied on vague internet searches, including photos found on Facebook and superficial resemblance, rather than more credible sources such as government IDs and employment records.

NUPL said the incident reflects deeper structural problems: “In such a system, law enforcement agencies, including the PNP, CIDG, and bodies under the NTF-ELCAC, are incentivized to prioritize rewards over truth.”

The group emphasized that accountability must follow: “The law cannot allow six months of unlawful incarceration and the irreparable harm it caused to pass without consequence. It cannot be business as usual.”