Tiamzons refuse to enter plea on kidnap case

MANILA, Philippines - Communist leaders Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon refused to enter any plea yesterday during their arraignment on two counts of kidnapping with serious illegal detention filed before a Quezon City court.

“We are not criminals! We are revolutionaries!” Austria-Tiamzon yelled in Filipino as she was being brought out of the courtroom following their arraignment.

Regional Trial Court Branch 81 Judge Madonna Echiverri entered a plea of not guilty for the couple, who are believed to be ranking leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) at the time of their arrest in Cebu last month.

The two are facing kidnapping with serious illegal detention charges before the Quezon City court over the alleged kidnapping of Lieutenants Clariton Santos, Oscar Singson, Rommel Salamanca, and Abraham Casis of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and of Sergeant John Jacob of the Philippine Narcotics Command in Quezon province in 1988.

Based on the case numbers, the charges were filed before the Quezon City RTC in 2003.

Echiverri granted the motion of the Tiamzons to allow them to remain at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

She set aside her earlier commitment order to move Tiamzon to the Quezon City Jail-Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa and Austria-Tiamzon to the Quezon City Jail Female Dormitory.

The couple were detained in Camp Crame following their arrest on March 22 in Carcar, Cebu.

Aside from kidnapping charges before the Quezon City court, the Tiamzons are also facing murder, frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges.