Human Rights over what they regard as irregularities in the operations conducted by authorities.
They also complained about the alleged illegal detention of the so-called HRD 7, planting of evidence by operatives, and red-tagging by officials of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict before the arrests. The five other unionists arrested on Human Rights Day last year - Cruz, Dennise Velasco, Jaymie Gregorio Jr., Romina Astudillo and Joel Demate - were also captured on the basis of Villavert's search warrants.
“Ang search warrant na inisyu ni Judge Villavert ay dapat ibasura, dahil in general, ang ginawa ng mga pulis ay labag sa due process. At the minimum, i-review ang lahat ng search warrant na inilabas, i-audit ito ng Supreme Court,” Bayan Metro Manila Chairperson Mong Palatino said.