CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and five others were cleared by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, February 10, of sedition charges filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for lack of evidence.
Among those cleared were Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Honesto Ongtioco and Teodoro Bacani, including Fr. Robert Reyes and La Salle Bro. Armin Luistro.
The DOJ on Monday, February 10, ruled that the bishops showed no intention of committing sedition and that the complaints filed by the CIDG lacked evidence.
The CBCP News, the media arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, reported that the sedition case and other charges stemmed from a viral video accusing President Rodrigo Duterte and his family of being involved in the illegal drugs trade.
The DOJ ruled that the bishops showed no intention of committing sedition and that the complaints filed by the CIDG lacked evidence, the CBCP News said.
The DOJ, however, recommended the filing of charges against priests Fr. Albert Alejo and Fr. Flaviano Villanueva and nine others for their alleged involvement in a plot to oust Duterte. The church leaders have repeatedly said that they will not join any action through violent and illegal means.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has come to the defense of the accused prelates, saying the allegations were "beyond belief," the CBCP News added.