By Teddy A. Casiño
Bakit binobomba ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ang iba’t-ibang bahagi ng Kalinga, Cagayan at iba pang lugar sa North Luzon? Simplent operasyon lang ba ito kontra New People’s Army o may mas malalim na dahilan?
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“Ang pinakamalupit na paglabag sa karapatan sa ngayon, hindi ka na kinakasuhan, hindi ka na binibigyan ng pagkakataon na magpaliwanag o magbago, ikaw ay pinapatay na.”–Teddy Casiño, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
After the dismissal of the double murder charge against them by a Nueva Ecija court, four former Makabayan Coalition representatives condemned government’s security cluster for what they call a mere case of political persecution against dissenters.
National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza and fellow former Makabayan representatives Rafael Mariano, Teddy Casiño and Satur Ocampo were welcomed in a gathering in Quezon City last August 14 after warrants of arrest against them were withdrawn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmHQPdNv7EE
The Palayan Regional Trial Court (RTC) dismissed the double murder case against National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza and her fellow former Makabayan bloc representatives Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Rafael Mariano.
In a decision dated August 8, Palayan City RTC Acting Presiding Judge Trese D. Wenceslao ordered the dismissal of the cases and quashed the warrants of arrest against the four.
“[C]onsidering that the evidence on hand absolutely fails to support a finding of probable cause against the accused-movants, the Motion for Reconsidetion (of the Order dated July 11, 2018 with Prayer to Quash Warrants of Arrests) is hereby GRANTED,” Judge Wenceslao ordered.
“Consequently, the Warrants of Arrest issued on July 11, 2018 under Criminal Case Nos. 1879-P and 1880-P against Saturnino C. Ocampo, Liza L. Maza, Teodoro A. Casiño and Rafael V. Mariano are QUASHED. The instant cases are DISMISSED as to the said accused-movenats,” he added.
Wenceslao, however, ordered that the arrest warrants against more than a dozen others who did not ask the court for reconsideration stand.
Dispositive portion of Judge Wenceslao’s decision. (Photo by Renato Reyes Jr.)
The four opposition leaders were ordered arrested by Judge Evelyn Atienza-Turla last July 11 after reversing her 2008 decision that the case does not meet her standards in finding probable cause.
Atty. Rachel Pastores, counsel for the four accused, said the case is pure harassment as the complaint was not even subscribed before a public prosecutor before it was filed.
“The complainants swore before the Philippine National Police and not to a public prosecutor. It was irregular,” Pastores said.
A Cleotilde Peralta and an Isabelita Bayudang alleged Ocampo, Maza, Mariano, Casiño and 18 other activists met in 1998 to plan the assassination of former Bayan Muna (BM) members who have left the party.
Peralta said her husband was ran over and killed in 2001 while Bayudang said her husband was shot to death in 2004 upon orders of the four accused and others.
In 2016, however, Peralta and Bayudang were found liable for damages in a civil suit and were ordered to pay P325,000 to Ocampo by Quezon City RTC Branch 95.
The QC RTC said Peralta and Bayudang lied when they alleged BM was already existing in 1998 when it was in fact created only in 2000.
The two complainants were ordered to pay damages to Ocampo, but have yet to abide by the court decision.
The two complainants have not appeared in court since then.
Peralta and Bayudang’s petition to have Bayan Muna disqualified using the same allegations was also dismissed by the Commission on Elections in 2008. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
Various groups gathered last Saturday, August 11, to defend the four former Makabayan Representatives, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Teddy Casiño and Rafael Mariano.
Lawyers explained that the double murder case used as basis for the issuance of warrants against the four were baseless, as proven by two earlier decisions by a trial court and the Commission on Elections.
Family members of the accused also spoke against what they call the political persecution of political dissenters by the Rodrigo Duterte government. (Video by Joseph Cuevas)
“Nagaganap ang political persecution kapag iyong mga nasa kapangyarihan tulad ni Duterte at mga kasapakat niya ay gustong patigilin at supilin ang mga nagsasabi ng katotohanan.”–Prof. Jose Maria Sison, International League of Peoples’ Struggles chairperson.
Various groups launched a campaign to defend National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza in a press conference in Quezon City last Monday, August 6.
Saying they are composed of groups outside the Makabayan bloc, they said they want to show that support for Maza is wide and committed in defending the embattled Cabinet secretary from political persecution.
Maza, along with former Makabayan representatives Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Rafael Mariano were issued warrants of arrest by a Palayan City Regional Trial Court for alleged murders committed nearly two decades ago.
The accused and their supporters, however, claim that the cases were trumped up, as proven by earlier decisions by the QC RTC and the Commission on Elections. (Video by Joseph Cuevas)
Sa episode na ito ng Itanong mo kay Prof, ipinaliwanag ang ibig sabihin ng political persecution at bakit target nito ang mga progresibong lider tulad nila Liza Maza, Satur Ocampo, Rafael Mariano at Teddy Casiño.
Nueva Ecija public prosecutors refused to comment on a motion for reconsideration on double murder charges and warrants of arrests against four activist leaders at a hearing in Palayan City Friday morning, August 3.
Lawyers of National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza and fellow former Makabayan bloc representatives Satur Ocampo, Rafael Mariano and Teddy Casiño told reporters in a press briefing outside the Palayan Regional Trial Court (RTC) that the prosecutors had no comment when asked about the motions.
“When the public prosecutors were asked to comment on the motion for reconsideration, they simply submitted it to the judge’s discretion,” Public Interest Law Center (PILC) managing counsel Rachel Pastores said.
“This made the hearing very quick; travel time from Manila to here was in fact longer,” Pastores added.
Dozens of activists travelled to Nueva Ecija early Friday morning and held a picket in front of Palayan City RTC Branch 40 to support the four leaders.
August 1, 2018 inhibition order by Judge Evelyn A. Atienza-Turla.
Judge Evelyn Atienza-Turla inhibited herself from the case since last August 1 and the case was raffled off to Judge Trece Wenceslao instead.
Turla issued arrest orders against the four last July 11 stemming from a 2006 double murder charge against them.
The judge, who told the public prosecutor in July 2008 that the case did not meet her standards, reversed herself and said in an order that she now finds probable cause to proceed with the trial against the four accused.
Pastores said they are hoping that the court would decide on their motion within 10 days as the arrest order is “unjust and without legal basis.”
The double murder charge stemmed from a complaint by a Cleotilde Peralta and an Isabelita Bayudang who alleged that the four activist leaders met in 1998 to plan the assassination of former Bayan Muna (BM) members who have left the party.
Peralta said her husband was ran over and killed in 2001 while Bayudang said her husband was shot to death in 2004 upon orders of the four accused and others.
In 2016, Peralta and Bayudang were found liable for damages in a civil suit and were ordered to pay P325,000 to Ocampo by Quezon City RTC Branch 95.
The QC RTC said Peralta and Bayudang lied when they alleged BM already existed in 1998 when it was in fact created only in 2000.
Peralta and Bayudang’s petition to have Bayan Muna disqualified using the same allegations were also dismissed by the Commission on Elections in 2008. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
Groups and lawyers condemned the issuance of warrants of arrests against four well-known activists at a press conference in Quezon City Friday.
They explained that the resurrected case against Satur Ocampo, Rafael Mariano, Liza Maza and Teddy Casiño were based on lies as proven in another court and the Commission on Elections and that they blame political persecution as the real reason behind the threat against the four.