Lone accused in Jonas Burgos abduction walks free
In this file photo, Edith Burgos, mother of abducted activist Jonas Burgos, stands outside the national headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. File photo
MANILA, Philippines—The lone accused in the abduction of activist Jonas Burgos, who has been missing since 2007, has walked free of charges.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Thursday morning acquitted Army Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr. from arbitrary detention charges filed against him.
According to the case abstract drafted by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers, a complaint for arbitrary detention was filed against Baliaga, Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano, and Gen. Eduardo Año — the current Armed Force chief was the chief of Army Intelligence then — in 2011.
A separate complaint for obstruction of justice was filed against Hermogenes Esperon — AFP chief at the time and now national security adviser — Lt. Gen Romeo Tolentino, Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano and Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr.
Major Harry Baliaga is acquitted of arbitrary detention charges in 2007 Jonas Burgos disappearance case | @romina_marie pic.twitter.com/sskVSg5a4I
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) October 12, 2017
The DOJ, in a review resolution, dropped the complaints against Feliciano, Año, Esperon, Tolentino, Yano, and Razon.
Only the arbitrary detention charge against Baliaga was filed in court.
Burgos remains missing to this day .—with reports from Romina Cabrera
This is a developing story.
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