WEATHER-WEATHER LANG ‘YAN

The arguments of the defense were flimsy, said the Regional Trial Court as it sentenced a man to 15 years imprisonment for possession of shabu and a year more for possession of shabu paraphernalia.

The accused, Renante Baring, contended that he was mistakenly identified as companion of the woman the police was chasing at the time, that the packs of shabu were not taken from him, and that policemen falsely accused him of the crimes.

RTC Judge Gabriel Ingles however found Baring's defense as "can easily be invented and so convenient to be credible."

In his decision, Judge Ingles said Baring failed to show any reason why the arresting officers would falsely accuse him, and that the defense also failed to show evidence to controvert the testimonies of the policemen.

Authorities arrested Baring during a saturation drive on July 10, 2005 in Cogon, Cebu City. He was reportedly with a woman who managed to escape.

The police however recovered a box, containing three packets of shabu, that they saw Baring threw to the ground upon seeing them.

Baring denied the allegations, saying he saw the three packs of shabu only at the police station after the arrest and that when he was frisked earlier, the policemen found nothing from him.

He added that the policemen had mistaken him to be a companion of the woman they were chasing that day.

Before the promulgation of the judgment, the prosecution moved to strike off the records the arguments of Baring for his failure to appear in court despite due notice.

Judge Ingles granted this motion of the prosecution but he said that "even if the testimony of the accused was not stricken off the record, it cannot be given credence." - Joeberth M. Ocao/RAE