National Democratic Front of the Philippines' (NDFP) peace consultant Concha Araneta has been convicted of murder by the Taguig City regional trial court (RTC) for the Sept. 18, 1975 killing of a man in Madalag, Aklan.
In a statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Araneta -- alias “Maria Concepcion Araneta,” “Chacon,” “Jojo” and “Etang” – “was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt and was sentenced to suffer imprisonment of reclusion perpetua” (a prison term ranging from 20 to years).
It also said that the decision was promulgated last June 21 by Judge Marivic C. Vitor of RTC Branch 266.
Araneta was charged with murder for the killing of Metudio Inisa in Sitio Agbanuod, Panipiason, Madalag town.
She was arrested by the military in Iloilo on Aug. 1, 2015 and arraigned before RTC Branch 2 in Kalibo, Aklan on Aug. 28, 2015. She pleaded not guilty.
In 2016, she was granted bail. The trial of the case was transferred to the Taguig City RTC in 2019.
The DOJ said that “on 28 April 2022, the counsel of accused Araneta filed a motion to withdraw as counsel stating that she has no communication with Araneta for the last three (3) years and has no information about her last known address.”
“Considering that Araneta has not appeared before the Court since the suspension of the peace negotiations, the promulgation of the judgment was done in absentia,” Judge Vitor said in her decision.
Citing the records of the case, the DOJ said that at the time of the killing, Inisa was staying at the house of his brother-in-law, Marcos Gregorio, since they were to attend the wedding of their cousin and celebrate the end of the rice harvest.
“At around 1:00 A.M. on 18 September 1975, a total of nine (9) persons -- seven (7) men and two (2) women -- carrying firearms arrived outside the house looking for Inisa,” the DOJ said.
“One of them went up the house, introduced himself as a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) and asked for Inisa,” it said.
It also said that witnesses testified that outside the house Inisa was asked by a woman “why he joined the Philippine Constabulary during their patrol, and when Inisa was not able to answer, she drew a gun and shot Inisa in the head.”
“After which, the men fired several shots at Inisa,” the DOJ said.
“The female who shot Inisa was identified as accused Araneta,” it added.