Ifugao court acquits 2 political prisoners

DSWD, NGO workers to be freed 

By Aldwin Quitasol

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- Two political prisoners were acquitted last week of all charges by the Regional Trial Court here.   

In a post in his social media page on August 1, 2017, National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Randy Felix Malayao announced that the two imprisoned for almost more than five years were acquitted of charges slapped on  them by state forces.

Rene Boy Abiva, who was an employee of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 2 and an organizer of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in the region was arrested Dec. 28, 2012 by the military.

 He was tagged as one of the New People’s Army fighters who staged an ambush against army troopers in Tinoc , Ifugao in April, 2012 where 10 soldiers were killed in action.

Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston) Party List Cagayan Valley regional coordinator and a development worker of the Virgilio Corpuz of Katinnulong daguiti Umili ti Amianan (Kaduami) was nabbed in his residence in Santiago City, Isabela by elements of the Philippine National Police Regional Mobile Group on Jan. 2013.

According to his family and friends, Abiva at the time of the said ambush claimed by the military was revealed by his daily time record (DTR) that he reported to his work at DSWD-2.

Corpuz was named as a certain “Harold Castillo” who also participated in the ambush.

Abiva and Corpus were charged with 12 counts of murder at the RTC, Lagawe, Ifugao by 86th Infantry Battalion Philippine Army and 5th Infantry Division.

They were detained at the Bureau of jail and Management Penology (BJMP) detention at Tiger Hills, Kiangan, Ifugao.

As of the moment, the Karapatan-Cagayan Valley stated that release papers for Abiva and Corpuz are being processed after the court acquitted them of all charges. The rights group together with the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance said state accountability must be exacted for each day their rights were deprived from them, their families and the communities they serve.

Mildred, the wife of Abiva said that in this day of the release of her husband and Corpuz, they are remembering their paralegal worker William Bugatti of the Ifugao Peasant Movement who was gunned down by unknown assailant on his way home to his family at Bolog, Kiangan, Ifugao at around 6-7 p.m. of March 25, 2014.

William is a regional council member of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance-KARAPATAN who assisted Abiva and Corpuz and their families while their cases were being heard at the court.

“We dearly remember him today as we wait for Rene Boy and Virgilio to walk out of jail,” she said.