Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla
MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered the Quezon Province Provincial Prosecutor to expeditiously resolve the criminal complaint against filmmaker Jade Castro and his companions.
Castro, together with Noel Mariano, Ernesto Orcine, and Dominic Ramos, were accused of involvement in the burning of a modern jeepney in Catanauan, Quezon.
They have all been detained at the Catanauan municipal police station since Feb. 1.
“The Secretary has instructed the Provincial Prosecutor of Quezon, through the National Prosecution Service, to make sure that justice is dispensed with appropriately and expeditiously,” Department of Justice (DOJ) Spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said in a statement.
“On this case specifically, the respondents have already waived their rights under Article 125 of the RPC (Revised Penal Code) in order to submit a counter affidavit where the prosecutor will evaluate their defenses,” he added.
Article 125 of the RPC deals with the penalty for failure of a public officer or employee to deliver a detained person to the proper judicial authorities within a specified period of time.
Witnesses allegedly testified that Castro and his companions were identified as the armed men who pretended to be passengers, stopped the vehicle, and then torched it.
They were arrested on a beach in Mulanay, which is 22 kilometers away from Catanauan, where the incident happened.