Roque: Teacher arrested for tweet has chance 'to prove he did nothing wrong'
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said it would let law enforcement agencies handle the case of a teacher arrested over a social media post saying he was offering a P50-million reward for Duterte's death.
National Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Ronnel Mas for posting on Twitter that he is offering a P50-million reward for the killing of the chief executive.
Mas is a 25-year-old public school teacher. According to the Department of Education, the entry-level salary for a public school teacher was P20,754 a month in 2019.
He is facing complaints of inciting to sedition in relation to the anti-cybercrime law as well as for violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Malacañang is leaving the case to the authorities.
“That is in the hands of our law enforcement agencies. Let them do their jobs,” Roque said in Filipino.
He added that Mas will be given the opportunity to defend himself at the proper venue.
“If there is a prima facie (legally sufficient basis), charge him and he will be given the chance to prove that he did nothing wrong before the court at the right time,” Roque said.
Those accused of crimes do not "prove that they did nothing wrong" and are presumed innocent until proven guilty, a fact that Roque, a former law professor, knows.
Guevarra: You can’t get away with ‘sorry’
In a video posted by News5, the arrested teacher apologized to Duterte.
“Sa ating minamahal na pangulo, narito ako sa inyong harapan humihingi ng kapatawaran. Ako po’y nagsisisi sa aking ginawa. Di na po mauulit ang ganitong klaseng aksyon,” he tearfully said.
(To our president, I am here asking for forgiveness. I regret what I did. This kind of action will not happen again.)
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said “apology is not one of the grounds for extinguishing criminal liability.”
“I cannot feloniously injure another and get away with it by merely saying ‘sorry,’” he said.
When asked about the teacher’s custodial interrogation without a lawyer, Guevarra said: “Let’s leave it to the inquest prosecutors.”
"In any case, the rights of the person arrested will be respected at all times, including his right to counsel," Guevarra said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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