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A judge has ordered the arrest of alleged Pasig City shabu “tiangge’ operator Amin Imam Boratong, and three of his co-accused for the murder of an informant of television network GMA 7 in November 2005.

Judge Nicanor Manalo Jr., of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC), issued the arrest warrant last May 23 against Boratong, his wife  Memie, PO2 Ramil Along, and Nashir Labay, alias Buenas, for the  murder of Herman Colisao.

Manalo ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to arrest the four accused and present them before the court.

Finding reasonable ground that the offense  had been committed, State Prosecutor Geronimo Sy filed the murder charges  at the Pasig City RTC last May 8.

The case was raffled off to Manalo.

However, in a five-page resolution last week, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez cleared Boratong and his co-accused on Colisao’s murder, claiming there is not enough evidence against them.

At the hearing at Manalo’s sala yesterday, Boratong’s legal counsel Raymond Fortun submitted a motion for the court to uphold Gonzalez’s findings  that there exist no possible cause to indict respondents for the crime of murder.

He also urged the issuance of an order holding in abeyance the implementation of the warrant of arrests and to subpoena Sy during the hearing of the motion.

In an open court, Manalo ordered lawyer Roque Merdegia Jr., who represented the Pasig City police and the trial fiscal, to comment on Fortun’s motion in 10 days.

Manalo gave Fortun five days to reply on Merdegia and the trial fiscal’s comment.

In his affidavit, government witness Samer Palao claimed Colisao was arrested by Along and Labay while taking video footage of the shabu “tiangge” located at F. Soriano St., Sitio Mapayapa, in Barangay Sto. Tomas for the TV program “Imbestigador.”

Colisao was allegedly killed by Along and Labay upon orders of Boratong and his wife Memie on Nov. 17, 2005.

But police records showed that Colisao was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men in Barangay Pinagbuhatan.

The shabu “tiangge” was raided by government agents on Feb. 10, 2006, which led to the arrest of more than 300 people and the recovery of an undetermined amount of shabu and  evidence pointing to the participation of Boratong in the illegal business.

Citing a court ruling on the same case, Merdegia expressed confidence that Manalo would deny Fortun’s  motion and push through with the trial of Boratong and his co-accused on Colisao’s murder.

“The court has acquired jurisdiction over the case,” noted Merdegia. “The court may order to proceed with the trial based on the merits of the case and may disregard the motion of the accused.”