NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Murmurs outside the courtroom turned into a wave of sobs and cheers. Families, friends and supporters huddled together in a mixture of relief and disbelief. After years of uncertainty and anguish, the so-called “Himamaylan 7” — once charged with murder and frustrated murder — were acquitted.

In the seat of Regional Trial Court 61 in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Judge Rodney Magbanua offered the words they had long prayed for: the charges lacked sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The defendants – Pastor Jimie Teves, Jodito Montesino, Jaypee Romano, Jasper Aguyong, Rogen Sabanal, Eliseo Andres and Rodrigo Medez – listened, some with visible emotion, as their long ordeal came to an end.

There was an eighth defendant, Susan Medezwhich added a late twist to the case. Unlike the others, she was not among the seven initially placed behind bars in 2019, a year after the cases were closed. Her arrest came years later in 2023 when she was hit with the same charges.

On Monday, however, Susan’s fate aligned with the rest – and she was acquitted, her name cleared along with the seven.

Deadly Ambush

The cases stemmed from a deadly ambush on May 12, 2018, in Tan-awan village along the borders of Kabankalan and Himamaylan towns, where two soldiers were killed and seven others wounded in an ambush against troops from the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion.

The soldiers killed in the ambush were Private First Class Vicente Marcon and Sergeant Sandy Arevalo.

The injured soldiers included Private John Daryle Delgado, Corporal Michael Besana, Private First Class Voltaire Catamin, Private Joven Taghap, Private First Class Kenneth Cerbo, Private Ryan Las Piñas and Corporal Angelito Barega.

The military later pointed the finger at the accused, labeling them members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who were allegedly involved in the attack. But from the start, the evidence seemed shocking.

The army’s initial report on the incident initially stated that the perpetrators were “unidentified”. However, months later, the names “Himamaylan 7” emerged. What followed was a narrative full of inconsistencies—testimony from soldiers claiming prior familiarity with the accused conflicted with earlier reports.

incoherence

Gorgonio said the prosecution failed to prove that the defendants were the perpetrators of the ambush. He noted that the military blotter report after the incident stated that the attackers were not identified.

He also pointed out that the military only released the names of the accused four months after the ambush.

During the initial hearing, the injured servicemen testified that they recognized their attackers, claiming that they had previously interacted with them under the Community Support Program (CSP) in the accused’s community.

Gorgonio said the court questioned the testimony because of an inconsistency: If the soldiers knew the attackers, why did the Army blotter report list the suspects as unidentified?

The inconsistency in identifying the perpetrators led the court to acquit the group, Gorgonio said.

He said United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) pastor Jimie Medez, one of the accused, has long been red-labeled because of his active role in organizing farmers and indigenous peoples (IPs) as part of the social service of the church.

church victory

Meanwhile, UCCP Bishop Fely Tenchavez said the court’s decision was a victory for members of their church, who she said had been falsely accused and attacked for carrying out their ministry of helping the marginalized.

“This ruling is significant not only for the UCCP, but also for other religious groups and sectors facing similar charges,” Tenchavez said.

“Since the establishment of the church, it has been attacked and labeled as communists. But now we have proved that we are not communists. We are simply serving the needy and marginalized,” she said.

Tenchavez called on the government to protect those working for the betterment of society, especially in rural areas.

“Let’s stop arguing or bickering, rather let’s unite and continue our support serving the marginalized“, Tenchavez said.

The UCCP issued a statement, part of which reads: “In the face of repression, we will not remain silent. We will continue our prophetic ministry, we fight for a world where justice, compassion and righteousness prevail. Because we know that the chains that bind all political prisoners are not just chains of steel, but chains of fear, silence and complicity.” – Rappler.com