Senator Robin Padilla has demanded justice for a 62-year-old Muslim arrested last August over a case of mistaken identity because he had the same name as a man who has nine warrants of arrest.
In his privilege speech, Padilla questioned the case of “mistaken identity” and possible discrimination against Mohammad Maca-Antal Said who was arrested on August 10.
“Mr. President, I am bringing this to your attention so we can give justice to this elderly Muslim who up to now remains behind bars.
“We inquired about his case before the courts, but they said we have to follow procedures,” he said “What procedures are there to follow when the one he is confused with has been dead? I cannot understand,” he said.
The senator assailed as “unjust and inhumane” this case of mistaken identity.
“It is unacceptable in this age of technology and innovation,” he stressed.
If we want to restore public trust and form a just society, he pointed out that no Filipino should suffer the same fate as “Tatay Mohammad.”
Padilla said Said was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 as he was preparing to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But he said “Tatay Mohammad,” who hails from Balo-i, Lanao del Norte, happened to have the same name as one Mohammad Said a.k.a. Ama Maas who had nine warrants for his arrest.
Padilla showed photos of “Tatay Mohammad” and Ama Maas, who he said looks very different.
He added that in 2018, “Tatay Mohammad” had been arrested because of a similar case of mistaken identity and was released by the National Bureau of Investigation. Also, he said the NBI issued clearances in 2018 and 2019 saying he had no derogatory record.
Also, he noted the elderly Muslim was in Saudi Arabia from 2001 to October 2011 – and could not have been in the Philippines when one of the crimes involving Amah Maas occurred in July 2011.
Besides, he said Ama Maas died in 2016 during a military operation in Sulu.
“How can you detain someone with an NBI clearance, without a derogatory record, left and returned to the country several times, and does not look like the man accused of several crimes and has been reported dead? Just because he had the same name as Mohammad Said,” he asked.
Because of this, Padilla sought to address the loopholes in information-sharing among agencies.
“Do we have the technology and infrastructure for a harmonized, integrated, and interconnected system?” We must take a look at our law enforcement agencies’ systems and policies in accurately sharing critical information in catching criminals,” he added.