A court in Agusan del Sur dismissed the trumped-up charges against 17 activists filed in 2019. The decision was issued on June 10, but the pertinent documents were only delivered to the lawyers of the accused on December 1.
According to Judge Fernando Fudalan Jr, the cases have been pending before his office for more than a year without any action by the prosecution.
The judge voided the warrants of arrest because the respondents listed in these are “John Does” without any description.
The 17 activists who were accused of kidnapping, robbery and arson are members of Karapatan, Alliance of Concerned Teachers and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, who are based in Northern Mindanao.
Their cases are collectively called the “Sibagat cases.” The victims were maliciously linked by the military to a raid by the NPA-Agusan del Sur against a CAFGU detachment in Barangay Tubigon, Sibagat on February 19, 2019.
On November 24, a local court also dismissed trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against a couple activist who were arrested in Metro Manila in 2019. The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19 dismissed the cases against Cora Agovida, spokesperson of Gabriela-Metro Manila, and Michael Bartolome, organizer of Kadamay.
[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]
https://cppangbayan.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/court-dismisses-cases-vs-17-activists-in-agusan-del-sur/
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