Court resets Tamano, Castro arraignment to April

A Bulacan court has rescheduled the pre-trial and arraignment of Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, the activists who said they were abducted by the military, to April.

In a 4-page order, the Doña Remedios Trinidad Municipal Trial Court deferred the arraignment for the charge of grave oral defamation to April 25. Tamano and Castro were initially scheduled for arraignment on March 15, Friday.

“This court is inclined to defer the arraignment and pre-trial of these cases pending the resolution of the accused’s Motion for Reconsideration filed before the National Prosecution Service,” it said.

Meanwhile, the court directed the prosecutor to file their comment on Tamano and Castro’s motion to quash the information within 10 days from receipt of the order.

In September 2023, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) claimed that Tamano and Castro surrendered to the 70IB in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan.

The activists were presented at a press conference, ostensibly to debunk reports of their abduction. However, the activists said the military had abducted them.

The initial complaint filed against Tamano and Castro was for perjury, but the Department of Justice recommended that they both be charged separately for grave oral defamation.

The Supreme Court also granted Tamano and Castro a writ of amparo and habeas data, saying that it found that elements of enforced disappearance were present. — DVM, GMA Integrated News