Manila court junks raps vs three activists

MANILA, Philippines — A court in Manila junked the charges filed by police against three activists, including a mother who lost her baby while in detention at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 47 acquitted Reina Mae Nasino, Alma Moran and Ram Carlo Bautista after the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, according to the RTC resolution dated July 17.

In his ruling, Judge John Benedict Medina wrote that the court found “that the unmistakable conflicting testimonies of the prosecution witnesses generate serious doubt as to whether the firearms with ammunitions and explosives were really found in the rooms of the accused as they were not identified with sufficient particularity.”

According to ABS-CBN News, the inconsistencies in the statements of the prosecution witnesses as to where they found the firearms and explosives convinced the court that the case lacked evidence.

The court also pointed out that the police officer who marked the supposed evidence was absent and that the prosecution presented only photographs of the seized items during trial.

Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the DOJ would study where prosecutors erred, paving the way for the acquittal of the activists.

Rights group Karapatan said that former Philippine National Police chief Debold Sinas should be held accountable for the injustice suffered by Nasino and the two activists.

Nasino, Moran and Bautista were arrested during a raid by police in Tondo, Manila in November 2019 and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Nasino gave birth while in detention, but her daughter, River, died only after three months.

The three women were released in December 2022 after paying bail. — Sheila Crisostomo, Elizabeth Marcelo, Emmanuel Tupas