We call for a thorough, impartial, and credible inquiry into the attack on Cahayag. This must go beyond identifying the direct perpetrators and must examine the broader political architecture, including the chain of command and potential involvement of the state. Anything less would not only fall short of justice but would further legitimize the machinery of impunity.

We reiterate, with due respect to the Honorable Court: constitutional powers must be preserved, especially in the service of accountability. When these powers are subordinated to procedural interpretations that strain the Constitution’s plain meaning, it is not merely institutional balance that suffers—it is the public’s right to demand responsibility from those who wield power in their name. The people will remember what was lost in the process: a clear invocation of the people’s right to hold even the highest officials to account.

The NUPL renews its call for the immediate repeal of these laws. Their continued enforcement safeguards not security, but legitimizes state repression. As long as these laws exist, rights defenders, activists, journalists, and humanitarian workers will remain at risk—not because they have broken the law, but because they challenge the conditions of injustice that the law now seeks to protect.