BASEY, SAMAR, Philippines — The Regional Trial Court-branch 30 in this town yesterday granted bail for temporary freedom of a New People's Army member, immediately after he was arraigned of the illegal possession of firearm charge filed by the police.
The accused, 65-year-old Elpidio Arungga, a resident of Barangay Mabini of this town, was accompanied by his lawyer Persida Acosta, head of the Public Attorney’s Office, during the court proceedings, presided by Judge Tarcelo Sabarre.
Arungga was arrested on December 19 last year during an encounter between government troops and the NPA rebels, which the military said was operating in the second district of Samar comprising of 93 barangays including those in Basey town. He was allegedly armed with an M-16 armalite rifle when caught, according to the military.
After his arrest, Arungga was brought to the hospital of the 8th Infantry Division in Catbalogan City, where he underwent an operation of his leg that was hit by a gunshot during the encounter.
Sabarre granted the motion of Acosta to reduce the bail bond, from P100,000 to P50,000 considering that the accused was considered to be a poor litigant. Besides the charge is bailable so the accused had to be granted such right to bail, he said.
Arungga in an interview however admitted as member of the NPA back in 1994, but he was already arrested by the military operatives and had since then returned to the mainstream of the society.
"The firearm that was seized from me by the military troops were not mine and it surprised me a lot where they got the armalite rifle," Arungga told The FREEMAN in the local dialect.
Acosta, for her part, said she represented Arungga upon request by militant group Karapatan, and that the P50,000 bail bond came from the PAO.
She explained that, since 2004, the PAO has been serving political prisoners, the communist rebels and poor litigants who could not afford to hire private lawyers.
After posting his bail bond, Arungga was transported out of the RTC compound in a white van, escorted by members of militant groups, military and the police.
Katungod Sinirangan Bisayas coordinator Epe Soco told The FREEMAN he was optimistic that Arungga will get fair justice because the charge was fabricated only by the military.
However, Colonel Leoncio Cirunay, commander of the 801st Infantry Brigade, stood firm that the military has enough evidence to convict Arungga. “Let us wait for the right time until the verdict of the court, because we in the military are just doing our job and helping build a peaceful community," he added. — Miriam Garcia Desacada (FREEMAN)