2 Sayyaf ‘medics’ charged

Two arrested Abu Sayyaf group members believed to have provided medical treatment to wounded terrorists fighting government troops in Marawi City have been criminally charged before government prosecutors.

Jadzrie Harad Saabdula, 50, and Jamal Kalib Jamil, 18, were presented before a special panel of prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for inquest proceedings on rebellion charges before the Eid’l Fitr holiday.

An inquest is an informal and summary investigation conducted by the public prosecutor in a criminal case involving persons arrested and detained without the benefit of a warrant of arrest issued by court.

Just like the other Maute group members arrested earlier, the two Abu Sayyaf members were arrested pursuant to the arrest orders issued by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as martial law administrator.

After the inquest, the prosecutors are expected to issue a resolution and file the case against the three before the Cagayan de Oro regional trial court, which was tapped by the Supreme Court to hear the cases against the Maute terrorists.

The hearing was held last Saturday morning at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City, where most of the arrested Maute terrorists are temporarily detained, according to DOJ undersecretary Erickson Balmes.

Saabdula and Jamil were arrested last Wednesday morning while they were purchasing a bulk of assorted medicines at a pharmacy in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.