Farmers plead not guilty to resisting arrest, assault

CEBU, Philippines - Four of the 39 farmers embroiled in a land dispute in Aloguinsan town pleaded not guilty to charges filed against them for resisting arrest and direct assault.

Terry Obtina, Lelia Engarcial, Alejandra Pañares and Librado Manzano, all residents of Barangay Bonbon, Aloguinsan town, were assisted by lawyers Kim Mendoza, Ian Manticajon and Alfonso Cinco during their arraignment yesterday.

The other accused were already arraigned last year.

However, Judge Hermes Montero of the Regional Trial Court Branch 59 said he cannot proceed with the pre-trial of the case since there was one accused left to be arraigned. Mendoza said Romeo Ordañeza is still confined in the hospital.

Montero said Ordañeza will be arraigned on May 22, 2012.

The farmers and two students were arrested during the commotion that followed the fencing of a 168-hectare agricultural land owned by the Gantuangcos in Aloguinsan.

Montero issued an order last August 10, 2011 that allowed the family to fence the farm.

After their arraignment the four were promptly arrested by the Aloguinsan Police armed with warrants of arrest for two counts of grave coercion issued by Judge Vidal Gella of the Pinamungajan Municipal Circuit Trial Court.

Mendoza said the grave coercion charges were filed by the workers of the Gantuangcos who claimed they were threatened by the farmers.

“It was another set of cases, it was filed before the Pinamungajan court wherein 12 farmers were the defendants of the case,” Mendoza said.

She added she told Obtina, Engarcial, Pañares and Manzano to voluntarily surrender to the police to avoid any trouble.

The recommended bail for two counts of grave coercion was P24,000.

Mendoza said they are planning to file a motion to reduce bail from P12,000 for each count to P10,000 since they cannot afford to post bail for the 12 accused.

Aside from Obtina, Engarcial, Pañares and Manzano, four others voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. These were Roberto Engarcial, 57; Restituto Manzano, 80; Randy Diroy, 38 and Jonathan Ulibnario, 40.

Roberto said they were not hiding from the law.

He and the others also denied the accusations against them saying they never threatened the workers of the Gantuangcos.

Restituto said he did not know why he was implicated in the case.

During the pre-trial of the injunction case filed by the camp of the Gantuangcos they said the defendants have no documentary evidence to prove their ownership of the land.

The next hearing of the case is set for March 19. (FREEMAN)