Court decision on ‘Morong 43’ release expected Friday

A local court is expected to release on Friday its decision on the government’s motion to drop the criminal charges against the 43 health workers arrested in February for allegedly being communist rebels. Lawyer Rachel Pastores, one of the health workers’ legal counsels, on Thursday said Judge Gina Cenit-Escoto of the Morong Regional Trial Court Branch 78 informed them “to wait until tomorrow" for the release of the resolution on the government’s motion to withdraw information on the so-called Morong 43. She said they understand the delay in the release of the court decision. “We understand that the judge is taking her time. Of course, hindi ito simpleng kaso (this is not a simple case). Her resolution must be substantial and sensible para wala nang questions pagkatapos (so that it will not be questioned afterward)," she told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. She said relatives of the health workers are still optimistic that the court will grant the motion, and that the 43 will be freed within the week. “Tomorrow, umaga pa lang, pupunta na ang mga kamag-anak ng health workers sa harap ng korte. Gusto nilang masigurado sa sarili nila na lalabas na ang court order, na siyang magti-trigger ng process of release," she said. (The relatives of the health workers will go to the court tomorrow morning. They want to make sure for themselves that the court will release its order, which will trigger the process of release.) Lawyer Julius Matibag, who also represents the health workers, said their camp will move to ensure that the 43 will be freed on the same day that the release order will be issued. “Our target is that the release order will be served by the [Bureau of Jail Management and Penology] on the same day that it is released. We hope that after the issuance, the bureau will immediately comply with the order," he said in a separate phone interview. Thirty-eight of the 43 health workers have been in detention at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for 10 months after they were arrested in Morong, Rizal, and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The remaining five, meanwhile, are being held at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, after they supposedly admitted to being communist rebels. On Friday last week, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the dropping of charges against the health workers, after finding that they were denied due process. Last Monday, the Department of Justicce (DOJ) formally filed before the Morong RTC the motion for the release of the health workers after a reinvestigation on the incident revealed that the health workers were “illegally" arrested. - KBK, GMANews.TV