Human rights groups cry foul over bail grant to Ecleo

CEBU CITY — Human rights groups have raised a howl over a local Regional Trial Court judge’s decision to grant bail to cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr., who is on trial for parricide in the killing of his wife.

The other day, members of party-list groups Sanlakas and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) staged a rally at the Palace of Justice condemning the ruling of RTC Judge Generosa Labra allowing Ecleo, supreme leader of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA), to post bail.

In a press statement, Sanlakas leader Dadang Majo said Labra’s decision granting Ecleo P1-million bail is a direct denial of justice to his slain wife, Alona Bacolod.

"Alona is crying for justice yet the court slapped her on the face. Justice for Alona is justice for every woman and we have all the reason for outrage as the decision came down while we are celebrating Women’s Month," Majo said.

"This only signals that women cannot seek refuge from the courts to uphold their rights and provide safeguards from any form of oppression," she added.

For her part, Ethel Robis-Fortaleza, a PM party-list nominee, said, "If Ecleo really has a heart ailment, he can receive treatment and be brought to a hospital just like other ordinary prisoners. Granting bail is uncalled for, especially since capital punishment is what awaits him should he be proven guilty."

But Labra merely shrugged off allegations of abuse of discretion and even challenged the militant groups to file a case against her if they believe that she erred in allowing Ecleo to be temporarily freed.

Labra said her order did not tackle the merits of the case but merely the aspect of humanitarian consideration because Ecleo is suffering from several illnesses, as earlier testified to by internist Evelyn Alesna and police surgeon Rodrigo Codoy.

Labra conceded that bringing Ecleo back to the city jail from the hospital would imperil his worsening health condition.

She also clarified allegations that her order was due to political pressure since Ecleo is a known supporter of senatorial aspirant Robert Barbers.

She said she was not and will not be influenced by any political figure and would even appreciate if she is asked to inhibit herself from the case.

"What will I get? I’m not aspiring for a promotion or money. The problem of these people is that they are already condemning the guy. We have the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty," she said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have filed a formal motion asking the court to issue a hold departure order against Ecleo and to raise the bail bond from P1 million to P5 million "so as not to negate the efficacy of the bond in insuring the attendance of the accused for trial."

The prosecutors said the P1-million bond is just a paltry sum considering the reported vast resources of the Ecleos.

Ecleo’s lawyer, Orlando Salatandre, said they posted a surety bond Wednesday afternoon. — Freeman News Service, Katherine Adraneda