Suspected Indon terrorists in GenSan to get their day in court, says judge

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Court of Appeals granted yesterday a petition for habeas corpus allowing three of four suspected Indonesian terrorists arrested in separate raids last Saturday to appear before the court.

In a three-page resolution dated Sept. 19, the Court of Appeals’ Sixth Division Associate Justice Renato Dacudao set the hearing for Jaka Antarani, Rakman Yanis and Julkri Letembuba and ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to present them to court.

Dacudao also ordered the PNP, NBI and BI to explain the cause of the three Indonesians’ detention and restraint.

The other suspect, Uskar Makawata, was excluded from the writ of habeas corpus for his suspected involvement in the April 21 bombing of Fitmart Department Store here that killed 15 people and wounded 60 others.

Makawata was reportedly seen in this city and had been staying in a safehouse in Barangay Tambler. The safehouse was raided by joint agents of the police and the military after its location was given to the lawmen by arrested bomber Abdulbasit Usman.

Usman said Makawata helped him manufacture the bomb used in the Fitmart attack.

"It is a relief that the writ was issued, so that the authorities will be put on the explaining side, particularly why they went ahead haphazardly with the arrests," said Rey Cartojano, lawyer for Antarani, Yanis and Letembuba.

Cartojano served as the Indonesians’ counsel at the request of the three suspects’ employers, Fernando and Gemma Sala. The lawyer also expressed fears that the arrest of his clients may spark a diplomatic row between the Philippine and Indonesia.

"It is public knowledge in General Santos (City) that thousands of Indonesians are working in Southern Philippines (at) various jobs and local businessmen take the opportunity of hiring them because of their relatively low wages – usually half the usual wages given to Filipino workers," Cartojano said.