THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Misamis Oriental has weighed in on the acquittal of Johaira “Marimar” Macabuat saying they stand by the decision penned by Judge Jeoffre Acebido letting the alleged “Mindanao Drug Queen” off the hook.
In a statement signed by the 11 officers of IBP-Misamis Oriental, the lawyers said Acebido's judgment is “borne of cautious and methodic legal reasoning.”
The lawyers said it is important that procedural safeguards mandated by the Constitution are followed, not to protect the guilty from conviction but to ensure against the indictment of innocent.
“Judicial proceedings ensure that the law, in its fruition, is a serving of justice- it cannot be questioned without a consideration of the actions by those who are called upon to enforce it. Fidelity to the law, after all, is not reserved for the exclusive observance of our magistrates,” the statement said.
The illegal drug items and guns seized by the anti-narcotics agents during a raid at a compound in Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City in 2016 were found by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 41 as “fruits of a poisonous tree” due to procedural lapses in the search.
READ: PDEA’s invalid search, seizure lead to Marimar’s acquittal
PDEA-Northern Mindanao Director Wilkins Villanueva has slammed the decision, pointing out that the agency has suffered a setback in its campaign against illegal drugs.
Villanueva said they are set to file a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court to contest the decision.