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Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Court to suspend militant leader's warrant
By Raquel C. Bagnol
THE Regional Trial Court (RTC) will suspend the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Alvin Luque, secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-Mindanao) because the prosecution panel will still file a motion for reconsideration.
This was according to Judge William A. Layague of RTC Branch 14.
The court last week pushed for Luque's trial after denying the motion filed by the militant leader for the court to determine probable cause.
In his order, Layague denied the motion filed by Luque, who insisted the rebellion charges against him are baseless.
Luque said he was at the Philippine Independent Church (PIC) compound at Torres Street, Davao City on the day he was accused of meeting New People's Army (NPA) members in the second week of February 1999.
Militiamen Loreto Palma and Daniel Mayagma however contradicted Luque's claim and alleged that they saw Luque meeting with suspected NPA members during the second week of February 1999.
Palma and Mayagma, who claimed they were former members of the NPA, swore they saw Luque introduce himself to a group of NPA men in Marilog district and stayed there for a week.
RTC Branch 15 Judge Jesus Quitain earlier ruled to sustain Luque's petition to suspend the issuance of a warrant of arrest against him in order to find probable cause he may be guilty of rebellion as charged and ordered him to present evidence in court.
The case was re-raffled to Layague's sala after the Supreme Court issued an order to fold up the heinous crimes court in the whole country.
Captain Ramon Torres, intelligence chief of the Army's 73rd Infantry Battalion, filed the rebellion charges against Luque and 14 others for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government and giving financial aid to the NPA's Front Guerilla Unit 52 operating in the hinterlands of Paquibato and Marilog districts from 1999 to 2002.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (May 24, 2005 issue)
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