Raps vs Iloilo Labor Day protesters junked
ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A local court has dismissed the charges filed against 42 activists, including a human rights lawyer, for holding a Labor Day rally in this city two years ago.
In a 25-page decision, Judge Radney Reginaldo Garcia of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 7 acquitted the activists of simple disobedience, saying the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers was among the respondents.
The court said the accused could not be convicted for civil disobedience, citing videos presented by the police which showed that the protesters did not resist arrest.
The 42 were also charged for violation of an executive order (EO) implementing health protocols as the city was under enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID pandemic at the time.
However, the court said the activists could not be convicted for violation of health protocols. It noted that the EO did not impose any penalty for breach of health protocols.
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