News Roundup 27 June 2022

Joseph Guerrero in News and Updates

Jun 27, 2022 • 5 min Read

‘Tinang 83’ cleared of malicious mischief, illegal assembly charges | PHILSTAR.COM – The malicious mischief charge against the 83 arrested during a land cultivation activity in Concepcion, Tarlac should be handled by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Capas Municipal Trial Court said as it dismissed two charges filed against them. The order was signed by Presiding Judge Antonio Pangan, granting the motion to dismiss charges of illegal assembly and malicious mischief against the farmers, activists, and journalists nabbed during a “bungkalan” or a land cultivation activity in Hacienda Tinang earlier this month. “Ibinasura na ng korte ang unang dalawang gawa-gawang kaso sa mga magsasaka at mga taga suporta ng Tinang 83,” Makisama – Tinang said. (The court has junked the first two trumped-up charges against farmers and the supporters of Tinang 83.) Charges of illegal assembly were dismissed after the court said the information failed to establish how the gathering may be considered an illegal assembly. Meanwhile, the court also highlighted that it has no jurisdiction over cases involving agrarian disputes. It added that not all of the facts presented for charges of malicious mischief equate to an offense. The third element of malicious mischief, where a person is accused of damaging someone else’s property just to damage it, was not alleged. The court also noted that the farmers arrested were issued their Certificate of Land Ownership Award, being beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Individuals part of the ‘Tinang 83’ were detained for three days, cramped in detention cells. Their release was also delayed after miscommunication with local authorities. Despite two charges already being dismissed, they will still have to face charges of disobedience, obstruction of justice, and usurpation of real rights filed by prosecutors.

Fear and defiance for families of Philippine drug war dead | PHILSTAR.COM – Six years after four policemen burst into her Manila slum shack and shot dead her husband and teenage son, Mary Ann Bonifacio fears for her own life as she fights for justice. Bonifacio is pursuing the men in court in the hope of proving they unlawfully killed her loved ones — a rare example of officers tasked with carrying out Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war facing trial. Official data show more than 6,200 people have died in police anti-narcotics operations since Duterte swept to power in 2016 promising to rid the country of drugs. But rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor men have been killed by officers and vigilantes, even without proof they were linked to drugs. While the crackdown has been widely condemned and sparked an international investigation, only three policemen have been convicted for killing a drug suspect. Lawyers say most families are too scared to go after their relatives’ killers or do not have the money or time to pursue a case in the Philippines’ creaky judicial system.  For Bonifacio, who has five other children, the decision to take legal action meant giving up a normal life. Fearing the officers, who are on bail, or their supporters could go after her and her family, Bonifacio has moved house several times and is always looking over her shoulder. “There is that possibility (of being killed),” she said, appearing older than her 48 years. Bonifacio, who washes clothes and cleans houses to make ends meet, added: “I also have to think about my children’s safety.” She filed a criminal complaint for murder in 2017, insisting her husband Luis, an unemployed decorator, and son Gabriel, a waiter, were not involved in drugs and were unarmed when police opened fire. But it took the Ombudsman four years to bring the lesser charge of homicide against the policemen after finding their actions “went beyond the call of (self-) preservation”. The officers said they acted in “self-defence” after the men shot at them, and have asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of evidence. In court, Bonifacio sits next to the accused killers due to a lack of space. The men are set to give evidence on August 9. “I do not wish them dead. I want to make them understand that what they did was wrong and ensure they will not do it to other people again,” Bonifacio said. But accessing evidence held by the police, the same institution that prosecutes the drug war, is a major stumbling block, Bonifacio’s lawyer Kristina Conti said. “For these kinds of crimes, the burden of accountability cannot simply fall upon the victims or survivors,” Conti added.

PH firm partners with US corporation to set up weapons assembly in Bataan | INQUIRER.NET – Philippine company Asia Defense and Armament Corporation (ADAC) has set up a partnership with US-based Daycraft Systems Corp. to operate a weapons assembly facility inside the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB). The two corporations signed a joint venture agreement last May 21 in an effort to supply customized equipment for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other unformed officers of the Philippine government. The local production and delivery of this equipment are in line with the Self-Reliant Defense Posture program that seeks to allow local industry and labor to benefit from defense expenditure. Likewise, any excess in the production of the local facility should be exported for sale to various NATO and ASIAN countries. ADAC has been dealing in the manufacture and trade of defense and security-related products in the Philippines which includes, defense robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, cybersecurity systems, and ammunition equipment. Daycraft, on the other hand, is a manufacturer of defense products for safety and peacekeeping based in Arizona, USA. Its products have evolved from mechanical weapons controlled directly by peacekeepers to externally, electrically powered weapons controlled remotely, keeping the peacekeepers behind armored protection. “We are excited to be forming a joint venture alliance with ADAC for the ASEAN region, and we know we have the right partner to focus on improved customer support and services, to continually provide better client relationships along with joint development, licensing, and sales of new products into the region”, said Richard Day, Founder & CEO of DWS. Mr. Day and his team have over 50 years of combined experience in electronics manufacturing and weapon systems controls business,” said Daycraft president Chad Day.