Three trial courts in different provinces dismissed charges against environmental activists, a government worker and a member of the clergy.
The Municipal Trial Court of Plaridel, Bulacan granted the motion to quash filed by state abduction survivors and anti-Manila Bay reclamation activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano last Tuesday.
In her decision, Presiding Judge Shiela Marie Geronimo-Orquillas said the accused did not commit grave oral defamation against the Armed Forces of the Philippines when they revealed in a press conference they were victims of forced disappearance by the Philippine Army.
READ: Environmentalists reveal abduction by military
Judge Geronimo-Orquillas cited that both Castro and Tamano were indeed abducted by elements of the 70th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, as proven by the granting of the writs of amparo and habeas data by the Supreme Court in favor of the environmentalists.
In Antipolo City, Regional Trial Court Branch 139 acquitted a local government unit employee from charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, rights group Karapatan-Rizal announced on Tuesday.
Eugene Eugenio, Advancement of Rights and Responsibilities of Organized Workers (ARROW) president, was arrested with four other in March 2021 in a coordinated operations led by the police and military in the Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces.
Dubbed as Bloody Sunday Massacre, the raids killed five other activists.
“The acquittal of Eugene Eugenio is a victory not only for him but for the collective resistance of all those fighting against oppression. It is a reminder that despite state repression, truth and justice will ultimately prevail,” Saara Rapisora, Karapatan Rizal coordinator, said.
A similar charge was dismissed by the Carmen (Bohol) RTC Branch 51 filed against United Church of Christ in the Philippines pastor Rev. Nathaniel Vallente.
The Free Rev. Nathaniel Vallente Facebook page announced Vallente was acquitted of illegal possession of firearmsand ammunitions.
“This is more than just a legal victory—it is a testament to the power of prayer, persistence, and prophetic witness!” the group said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
