NTF-ELCAC, NCIP welcome ruling on terror raps vs. 2 Aetas

MANILA — The National Task Force to End Local Communist and Armed conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) welcomed the dismissal by the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74 of the AntiTerrorism Case filed against Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos of the Aeta indigenous community in Zambales.

A joint statement released on June 17, the NTF-ELCAC and NCIP said the court's decision to drop the charges against the two Aetas is a manifestation that the justice system in the country is functioning fairly.

"The decision has clearly shown that our justice system works, hears, and decides cases fairly, without fear or favor," the statement read.

The notice, dated July 15, issued by the Regional Trial Court branch of Olongapo City, stated that the two accused "were not proved to be perpetrators of terrorism" under Section 4 of Republic Act No. 11479 or the AntiTerrorism Act of 2020.

"The invalidity of an arrest leads to several consequences, one of which is any search incident to the arrest becomes invalid thus rendering the evidence acquired constitutionally inadmissible," it added.

Protecting IPs vs. exploitation

The NTF-ELCAC and the NCIP vowed to protect the indigenous peoples (IP) community against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People ArmyNational Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and its front organizations.

"Both NTF-ELCAC and NCIP ceaselessly worked together to remove our IP brothers from the exploitative clutches of the CPP-NPANDF including their front organizations, like Karapatan, so that their case will the justly heard under our system of laws," the joint statement read.

Communist groups, it added, had been using Gurung and Ramos' case to topple the anti-terrorism law.

"These groups had been exploiting this case and has used it to move for the invalidation of the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020, which our ICCs/ IPs had sought and fully supported for their protection against the CPP/NPA presence within their lands. The case before the Supreme Court was later found to be filed without the consent of the Japer and Junior," it said.

Last February, the two Aetas disclosed that they were forced to sign the 42-page petition against the anti-terror law because of the persistence of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), allegedly linked to the CPPNPA-NDF.

The NUPL earlier claimed it has been represent