MANILA, Philippines — After a Caloocan City court granted a motion to quash the arrest warrant, Pandi town Mayor Enrico Roque, Councilor Jonjon Roxas and municipal driver Roel Raymundo were freed from detention on Monday.
The three are facing rape charges before the Caloocan Regional Trial Court Branch 121.
Judge Rowena Alejandria approved the motion of Roque’s lawyers, who argued that the mayor’s arrest violated his constitutional right to due process. The lawyers also cited discrepancies in the complainant’s claims.
The warrant, issued on Nov. 11, led the National Capital Region Police Office to arrest Roque and his co-accused at his waterpark resort. Roque was then hosting a Christmas party for senior citizens.
The charges stemmed from a complaint filed on April 10, 2019 by a woman who alleged that Roque and his two companions raped her at the mayor’s house along Langit Road in Barangay Bagong Silang, Caloocan on April 6, 2019.