Will dispute transfer to Bais City: ‘Mabinay 6’ feel safer at the provincial jail

CEBU, Philippines — Youth leader Myles Albasin and her five colleagues, collectively known as the "Mabinay 6," will now have their day in court as they have been formally charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

The case filed against the six suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels, who were allegedly involved in a firefight with the Philippine Army's 62nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Luyang in Mabinay, Negros Oriental last March 3, has been assigned to Branch 45 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bais City.

Their arraignment, where they will be formally read of their charges and are expected to enter a plea, is set next month.

RTC Judge Rosario S. Carriaga has ordered the six to be transferred to the Bais City Jail, approximately an hour away from the Negros Oriental Detention and Rehabilitation Center (NODRC) in Dumaguete City, where they are currently detained.

Albasin, 21, a fresh graduate of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, along with her five co-accused – Jomar Indico, Carlo Ybañes, Randel Hermino, Joey Vailoces, and Bernard Guillen — are set to be transferred to the Bais City Jail anytime soon.

Lawyer Benjamin Ramos, one of the lawyers of the "Mabinay 6," however, said their camp is studying the possibility of filing a motion for reconsideration to transfer their case from Bais City to Dumaguete City.

This is to avoid inconvenience on the part of the accused and their families, and to rule out fears of a possible ambush by the NPA in an attempt to rescue them during their transfer.

During his visit to the NODRC on Friday, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo personally talked to the "Mabinay 6."

The six appealed to the governor to help them remain at the NODRC, which Degamo reportedly agreed.

Degamo, however, did not give specific details during their conversation about how he will assist the Mabinay 6 in their case, NODRC Warden Franklin Culanag told The FREEMAN.

"Ganahan ra pud sila (Mabinay 6) nga diri ra sila, kay mas secure kuno sila diri," he said.

The governor's visit was in time for the Supreme Court's "Justice on Wheels" program, where some inmates were given legal assistance on their cases.

Degamo will also see to it that the Mabinay 6 and the more than 400 inmates at the NODRC will not be victims of prison abuse, Culanag said.

NODRC, more commonly known as the provincial jail, is directly under the Provincial Government of Negros Oriental.

Negros Oriental Provincial Police Director Senior Superintendent Edwin Portento previously told reporters that the police will collaborate with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Philippine Army to ensure the safe transfer of the Mabinay 6 from Dumaguete to Bais City. (FREEMAN)