MANILA (UCAN): Father Ranhilio Aquino condemned the death of a Covid-19 curfew violator in Cavite province, south of Manila, after authorities allegedly forced him to do 300 squat exercises that led to him having a seizure and heart failure.
Father Aquino, dean of the San Beda Graduate School of Law in Manila, said the alleged punishment was not only inhuman but against the Philippine constitution.
“I understand the necessity for restrictions, but no matter the threat, the constitution is supreme. The constitution was precisely crafted so that no matter how extreme the danger or the threat—and war is the farthest you can go—the law prevails,” the priest wrote on social media.
Twenty-eight-year-old Darren Penaredondo, was nabbed by village guards on April 1 for buying drinking water during curfew hours.
The country’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases has imposed a 6.00pm to 5.00am curfew in Manila and four provinces, including Cavite.
Penaredondo’s partner, who requested anonymity, said he was taken to the municipal hall after being arrested to do squat exercises 100 times. They were allegedly told if they did not do the exercises together, everyone would repeat the routine until they were in sync. This resulted in them doing the exercise 300 times.
“When he came home (early the next day) he was assisted by a fellow quarantine violator. I asked if he had been beaten. He just smiled but it was obvious he was in pain,” Penaredondo’s partner told reporters.
Hours later he suffered seizures and heart failure.
“I asked our neighbours to give him CPR and his heart restarted but we lost him in the hospital,” his partner said.
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Father Aquino said nobody deserved to be arrested and detained in this way for any quarantine violation even if the state has the power to impose quarantine laws.
“The policing power of the state has well-recognised limits. It is not absolute, and not even in the name of the most pressing of emergencies can it set aside the rights of individuals.” Father Aquino said.
He said he would join legal experts should they decide to file a case with the Supreme Court to question the legality of Penaredondo’s punishment.
