The Court of Appeals (CA) has reversed its earlier decision
upholding the conviction of two Indonesians involved in the Awang Airport
In a six-page resolution released on Wednesday, the CA's
Sixteenth Division said that Indonesians Zulkifli Julkifli and Taufiq Rifq had
no lawyer when the CA promulgated its decision, which violated their right to
counsel.
The decision written by Associate Justice Marie Christine
Jacob said that the guilty verdict should only apply to Feliciano De los Reyes
and Dinno Amor Pareja, the two other respondents in the case.
The CA said that it discovered the discrepancy when it
processed the notice of appeal of De los Reyes and Pareja filed before the
Supreme Court (SC).
The CA admitted that it failed to act on the motion for
review and withdrawal as counsel filed by Cesar Solis, Rifqi and Julkifli's
lawyer.
The CA then resolved to give the two Indonesians a period of
15 days within which to hire a new lawyer.
In a 24-page ruling written by Associate Justice Marie
Christine Azcarraga-Jacob, the CA's Special 16th Division denied the appeal
filed by the four respondents seeking to set aside the ruling rendered by the
Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 154 finding them guilty of the
crime of murder with double attempted murder.
The resolution was promulgated on April 20, 2016.
The respondents, who are members of the notorious Rajah
Solaiman Movement, bombed the Awang
Airport
The incident led to the death of Sgt. Nelson Corpuz and
injured many others.
Several houses were also burned and the airport's terminal
building was damaged.
The incident led to the arrest of the accused as well as
their conviction.
The respondents, according to the CA's earlier ruling, will
face "the penalty of reclusion perpetua without eligibility for
parole."
The CA also ruled that the award of moral damages be
increased to PhP75,000 for the heirs of Sgt. Corpuz.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=895665
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