ILOILO CITY – Four members of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) Panay Bukidnon were released in Capiz after a judge dismissed the warrants of arrest that were part of a deadly raid late last year of an alleged communist hotspot.
Judge Rommel Leonor of a court in Mambusao, Capiz quashed the search warrants for the Dec. 30, 2020 raid in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo that killed nine IPs.
Ordered released were Marevic Aguirre, Ferdinand Capillo, Eleutria Caro, and Rollen Catamin. They were among 16 persons who were arrested for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by the Western Visayas office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG Region 6) conducted the simultaneous operations and tagged the 16 as supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Atty. Pet Melliza of the Concerned Lawyers of Panay (CLP) cited the court’s decision that the search warrants issued by a Manila court for the raids did not specifically cite the location of the suspects’ houses or descriptions. Melliza added that alleged firearms found in the homes cannot be used in court trial.