After court junks murder cases, ‘Makabayan 4’ says fight continues

From left to right: former lawmakers Teddy Casiño, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, and Rafael Mariano appear before the public to air their side regarding the alleged trumped-up cases filed against them. INQUIRER.net photo / Gabriel Pabico Lalu

After eluding a warrant of arrest for a decade-old case, the four former lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc went public and said that the court’s favorable decision highlights the need to fight for other people faced with supposedly “trumped-up” charges.

In a press briefing on Tuesday in Quezon City, former Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna, Liza Maza of Gabriela, and former Agriculture Secretary Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis appeared before reporters and their supporters for the first time in almost three weeks to answer questions about the case lodged against them.

“Tandaan natin ang marami pang iba na tinutugis, sinsiraan, binabantaan, o walang katwirang inaaresto batay sa mga pekeng kaso, gayong ang tangi nilang kasalanan ay ang kanilang aktibismo at kritikal na paninindigan sa pamahalaan at sa masamang sistema ng lipunan,” Casiño said.

(Let us remember that there are still other people who are being hunted down, maligned, threatened or arrested based on trumped-up charges, since their only fault is their activism and being solid critic of the government and the wrong system of our society.)

Casiño also mentioned that there are at least 1,000 more political prisoners that have been placed in situations similar to what they experienced.

“Sa ngayon po ay there are at least 1,000 victims of these trumped-up cases. Mahigit 700 po dyan ay mga gawa-gawang kaso na na-file sa panahon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte,” he added.

On July 27, Bayan Muna Chair Neri Colmenares confirmed that a warrant of arrest was released by Judge Evelyn Turla of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40 of Palayan, Nueva Ecija against the so-called “Makabayan 4.”

The case was for the alleged murder of Bayan Muna critics in Palayan, Nueva Ecija in 2006.  The former lawmakers claim that it was fabricated as a means to silence them, as they were staunch critics of then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

On Monday afternoon, Judge Trese Wenceslao of the Cabanatuan RTC favored the Makabayan 4’s motion for reconsideration, on grounds that the cases are baseless.  The warrants against the four were also voided.

READ: Colmenares confirms warrant vs former Makabayan lawmakers

In her statement, Maza, who currently heads the National Anti-Poverty Commission, said that there is still much work to do, despite the victory.

“I am eager to get back to work unimpeded by this case on pushing for anti-poverty policy reform and fulfillment of the people’s ten basic needs,” she said.

“Justice may have been served in this particular instance, but justice for all Filipinos will only be achieved when poverty is eliminated and all those who oppose this are held to account,” she added. /jpv

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