Court defers arraignment of 61-year-old grandmother on illegal possession of explosives, firearms
The Calamba City regional trial court (RTC) has deferred last Friday’s, March 19, scheduled arraignment of 61-year-old Nimfa D. Lanzanas on two criminal cases filed against her after her arrest last March 7 during the joint police and military operations that resulted in the deaths of nine persons in South Luzon provinces.
“But the court has not yet determined the new date for the arraignment,” National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) President Edre Olalia said on Sunday morning, March 21.
NUPL, Lanzanas’ lawyers, sought the deferment of the arraignment and asked the Calamba City RTC to subpoena the documents used by the Manila RTC in issuing two search warrants against her.
It told the trial court that Lanzanas “seeks to be afforded a fair opportunity to contest her indictment and the cause of her arrest, and, thus, will be availing of whatever reliefs available to her prior to her arraignment.”
“But she can only do so if she is made aware of the nature of the accusations against her and will be provided with the records for the application of Search Warrant No. 21-31076 and Search Warrant No. 21-31077,” it added.
Lanzanas was charged with illegal possession of explosives and firearms, non-bailable criminal offenses.
“She was arrested after police seized the three guns and a grenade that they planted inside the tiny home where she lives and looks after her three grandchildren — aged six, nine, and eleven,” NUPL said in its motion.
A human rights group, Karapatan, on Sunday, March 21, pressed the RTC to grant Lanzanas’ plea to scrutinize the search warrant documents.
Lanzanas is a paralegal volunteer of Karapatan and is a mother of a political prisoner currently detained in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.