BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – A defeated Liberal Party (LP) congressional candidate in Cagayan has been cleared of arson charges filed against him during the campaign period last year.
Judge Isaac de Alban of Regional Trial Court Branch 16 in Ilagan, Isabela also ordered the withdrawal of the warrant of arrest against former Buguey town mayor Ignacio Taruc over the arson case.
Taruc had gone into hiding, making him unable to campaign for the congressional race in Cagayan’s first district, which was eventually won by now Rep. Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile.
Taruc had filed a petition with the Supreme Court for the transfer of his case outside Cagayan, saying he did not expect a fair trial there.
In the process, De Alban, in his nine-page decision dated May 4, cited insufficient evidence against Taruc and acquitted him of the charges.
“I am thankful for the justice given to me… for had my case not been transferred, I am sure that I would not get a fair trial. The warrant was issued mainly to harass me and prevent me from going around for a supposedly winnable campaign,” Taruc said.
Taruc was accused of ordering the burning of the town’s feng shui tree plantation reportedly owned by the family of then vice mayor Licerio Antiporda III, his political archrival who is now the mayor of Buguey town.
“Justice is served. We hope this will not happened again to any Cagayano or any Filipino. Perpetrators of this injustice should be held accountable,” said former Cagayan congressman Manuel Mamba, the provincial LP chairman and a member of the party’s national executive committee.