Court halts proceedings on rebellion case vs Batasan 5

Complying with the status quo order issued by the Supreme Court, a Makati court on Tuesday suspended legal proceedings on rebellion charges filed against the "Batasan 5" lawmakers and other opposition personalities. Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati regional trial court-Branch 150 complied with the SC decision last June 5 ordering the Justice department to cease prosecuting the second of two rebellion cases filed by the Arroyo administration. The high tribunal had ruled that it must first decide on the legality of the previous rebellion charge, which had been dismissed by a Makati court. Charged with rebellion were Representatives Satur Ocampo, Joel Virador, Teodoro Casiño, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza, former senator Gregorio Honasan, communist party leader Jose Maria Sison and dozens of others accused of plotting the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last February. Early this month, lawyer Romeo Capulong, representing the accused lawmakers, filed a motion asking Alameda to rule on SC decision. The rebellion case was re-raffled to Alameda's sala after Judge Encarnacion Moya of the Makati RTC-Branch 146, the second judge to handle Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran's rebellion case, voluntarily inhibited herself last July 3. Judge Renato Quilala of the Makati RTC-Branch 57, who eventually took over the case, earlier ordered the rebellion charges against the "Batasan 5" be consolidated with that of rebellion case against Beltran and First Lt. Lawrence San Juan. Quilala defied the status quo order of the SC by issuing an order dated June 22 granting the DOJ's motion for consolidation of the Batasan 5 case with the case against Beltran. "Taking a cue from the well-meaning advice of a good incumbent Justice, the undersigned hereto rules and accordingly orders the consolidation of the above-entitled case to the earlier filed case pending in another court Branch, as certainly the action of consolidation is not covered by the Status Quo Order lately issued by the Honorable Supreme Court," Quilala's order read. With Alameda's compliance with the SC order, Beltran expected the court to give him permission to attend sessions and hearings at Congress. Beltran has been confined at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, where he is under hospital arrest. The lawmaker is suffering from high blood and diabetes. He is also recuperating from stroke.-GMANews.TV