Illegal possession of explosive

From the Visayan Daily Star (Sep 24): Illegal possession of explosive
raps vs. ‘NPA’ official junked

The Office of the City Prosecutor in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, dismissed the complaint of illegal possession of an explosive under Republic Act 9516 against an alleged front secretary of the New People’s Army for lack of probable cause.

The complaint was filed by the Tanjay City police chief, Chief Insp. George Badon, against Jose Rene Bustamante, of Catbalogan, Samar who has roots in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

Bustamante, the allegedly secretary of the NPA’s South East Front of the Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, was arrested during a joint police-military checkpoint in Tanjay City on June 6.

Police report said they confiscated from him a grenade, that he claimed was not his and was “planted” by the police.

Maria Luisa Ong, investigating prosecutor of the Tanjay City Prosecutor’s Office, noted that the arresting officers failed to substantiate the allegations that the grenade purportedly recovered from Bustamante was actually his.

She said the complaint only provided the affidavits of the allegations against Bustamante’s supposed possession of the explosive, but did not make any attachments on the items taken allegedly from him.

After Bustamante’s arrest, the Tanjay police said in the complaint that they had information of the Order of Arrest against a certain John Doe Pediong and Julito Alaban for the crime of murder, issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 41 in Dumaguete City.

Bustamante, allegedly the man referred to as Pediong, was arrested at a checkpoint in Tanjay City on board a Ceres bus at around 8 p.m. on June 6.

The operatives took “Pediong’s” belt bag and a blue handbag, and later brought him to the police station for booking and documentation.

The police claimed that they found the grenade in the handbag of Bustamante. The case of illegal possession of an explosive had been dismissed but Bustamante is still in jail for a murder case filed against “Pediong” and Alaban, for the killing of Narciso Bantoto Jr. in an ambush allegedly perpetrated by suspected NPA members on January 17, 2014 in Barangay Tayak, Siaton town.

Bantoto was killed in front of his wife, Crisabel, their children and a relative.

Bustamante has denied involvement in the killing, and that he is the one referred to as “Pediong”.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2014/September/24/negor2.htm