Urgent Petition for the Issuance of a Writ of Habeas Corpus Filed to Challenge Detention of PCol. Hector Grijaldo

On 23 May 2025, Police Colonel Hector U. Grijaldo, Jr. filed an urgent Petition for the Issuance of a Writ of Habeas Corpus before the Court of Appeals in Manila through his counsel from Go & De Guzman Law Offices (GD Law).

The petition challenges the constitutionality and legality of PCol. Grijaldo’s ongoing detention by the House of Representatives Quad Committee.

PCol. Grijaldo has been held since 14 December 2024, initially detained at the House of Representatives after being cited in contempt for his failure to attend committee hearings. These absences, however, were backed by documented medical justifications.

Last 21 January  2025, he was then transferred to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 6, where he remains confined. His on-going six-month detention has occurred without charge, trial, or due process — a state that GD Law contends is unconstitutional and unjust for their client.

The petition argues that PCol. Grijaldo’s detention has then transitioned from a coercive measure intended to compel testimony into a punitive one, devoid of any legislative necessity. According to the legal team, no further committee hearings are scheduled, and no ongoing legislative inquiry justifies his prolonged incarceration. As such, the detention is no longer a legitimate exercise of Congress’ contempt powers, and is instead a violation of PCol. Grijaldo’s fundamental rights under the Philippine Constitution.

Moreover, the petition emphasizes the neglectful conditions of PCol. Grijaldo’s detention. Since his transfer to QCPD Station 6, he has not received medical care, food provisions, and basic sustenance from the Quad Committee — constituting a clear violation of his right to proper treatment under both domestic and international law. Additionally, the Philippine National Police placed him on leave without pay effective December 13, 2024, further exacerbating his plight.

PCol. Grijaldo’s counsel argues that the Quad Committee’s actions contravene both domestic and international human rights norms, including the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Philippine jurisprudence, the petition notes, has consistently held that legislative contempt cannot be used to impose indefinite detention, especially when it no longer serves any legislative function.

Finally, the petition points out that PCol. Grijaldo’s continued detention has exceeded all lawful bounds, serving no legitimate legislative purpose, and is effectively a punitive measure equivalent to the criminal penalty of arresto mayor, despite his not being convicted of any crime. Such detention is inherently punitive, retributive, and unconstitutional, necessitating immediate cessation.

As legal counsel for PCol. Hector U. Grijaldo, Jr., Go & De Guzman Law Offices remains firm in upholding the rule of law and protecting individual liberties from arbitrary and unlawful state action.