Official defends Aquino’s stand on Morong 43 case

MANILA -- “The ball is with the court” was how Malacanang responded to persistent calls for President Benigno Aquino III to meddle in the case of the Morong 43 and order their immediate release.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Jose Amor Amorado said President Aquino’s stand to let the court decide on the fate of the 43 health workers is the prudent thing to do as of the moment.

While the families of the Morong 43 appeal help from the administration, Amorado said they would want to see a move from the group first.

“Why is it that their lawyers have not filed anything to quash the search warrant which was issued in Cavite? Because that will trigger whether or not the government will oppose the motion,” the Palace official said.

“If you feel that the warrant is invalidly issued your first move should have been to move to quash the warrant because any evidence that were gathered by virtue of a void warrant is the fruit of the poisonous tree and cannot be used in court,” he added.

Amorado said they have already posed this challenge to the relatives of the Morong 43, but they still failed to initiate any motion. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)