Court allows woman “detained by cult leader” to go home

CEBU, Philippines -  The Regional Trial Court in Cebu City has allowed Emma Nepomuceno, the woman reportedly detained by a "cult leader" for over five years, to go home after his sister filed for a petition of habeas corpus.

 Lawyer Danilo Yap told The FREEMAN that Nepomuceno's sister, Susana Juarez approached him on April 8, 2014 and asked for help after Nepomuceno was not released from the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 on April 4, 2014.

Nepomuceno was placed under the custody of DSWD after she was rescued on March 26, 2014 by the National Bureau of Investigation-7 inside the house of alleged cult leader Casiano Apduhan, Jr.

Apduhan and driver Victor Fajardo were arrested by the NBI and Special Weapons and Tactics team pursuant to the search warrant issued by Toledo City Regional Trial Court Branch 59 Judge Hermes Monteron.

In yesterday's hearing, Yap said Executive Judge Soliver Peras ordered the petition for habeas corpus be closed and terminated after Nepomuceno was allowed to go home following her stay with DWSD for 20 days.

Nepomuceno was presented before the court, yesterday.

Meanwhile, Yap said he is now studying either to file a motion for reinvestigation before the Prosecutor's Office or motion for judicial determination of probable cause before the court.

This after the serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms were filed before the court against his client, Apduhan, who is now detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Toledo City.

Yap said that during Nepomuceno's interview after the rescue, she categorically said that she was not detained by the accused.

Apduhan was also accused of killing a 15-year-old boy, Angelo Repuela, who was found buried deep inside a 30-foot tunnel, located under his house in Laray 3, barangay Buanoy, Balamban Cebu.

Apduhan denied the allegations saying that he never knew that a body was buried inside a tunnel under their residence. He also denied owning firearms.  (FREEMAN)