2 activists post bail on oral defamation case filed by military

Two environmental activists -- Jhed Reiyana C. Tamano and Jonila F. Castro -- have posted bail of P18,000 each for their provisional liberty on charges of oral defamation filed by the military.

Presiding Judge Jonna A. Sorallo-Veridiano of the municipal trial court (MTC) of Dona Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan issued separate orders that stated that Tamano and Castro have posted bail.

With the posting of bail, Judge Veridiano said the warrants of arrest against the two activists have been "lifted and set aside."  Pre-trial of the charges filed against them for alleged violation of Article 358 of the Revised Penal Code was set on March 15.

The filing of the charges arose from the press conference held by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Sept. 19, 2023.

During the press conference, the  NTF-ELCAC presented Tamano and Castro as the latest members of the New People’s Army (NPA) to have surrendered to the government.

However, instead of affirming that they surrendered to the 70th Infantry Battalion in Dona Remedios, Bulacan, the activists declared during the press conference that they were abducted by the military in Orion, Bataan last Sept. 2.

The public declaration by the two activists prompted the military to file a complaint against them before the Department of Justice (DOJ) which subsequently filed the criminal case before the MTC.