THE REGIONAL Trial Court (RTC) Branch 96 in Catanuan, Quezon ordered the release of a filmmaker and his friends after granting their motion to quash arson charges over the burning of a minibus last Jan. 31. Film director Jade Francis C. Castro and his three friends were released on Monday.
In a 16-page decision, Judge Julius Francis R. Galvez ruled that “police personnel of the MPS Catanauan, Quezon did not validly arrest the four accused thru a hot pursuit operation pursuant to Section 5 (b), Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure.”
In quashing the Information brought before the court, the judge absolved Mr. Castro and his companions Ernesto T. Orcine, Noel C. Mariano, and Dominic V. Ramos, citing that their arresting officers had no “personal knowledge of the facts indicating that the persons to be arrested have committed the crime charged.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
