Prosecutors find probable cause in arson case vs filmmaker Jade Castro, 3 others

Prosecutors have found probable cause to pursue arson charges against filmmaker Jade Castro and three others who were all arrested without a warrant in Mulanay, Quezon over the recent burning of a modern jeepney in another town.

Lawyer Carmela Pena, legal counsel of Castro, confirmed the development in a message to GMA News Online on Friday evening.

"The investigating prosecutor found probable cause and recommended to the Provincial Prosecutor the filing of an Information for destructive arson against Direk Jade and his friends, which the Provincial Prosecutor approved," Pena said.

On Feb. 1, Castro and three others—Ernesto Orcinem, Noel Mariano, and Dominic Valerio Ramos—were arrested by police in Mulanay town after four unidentified men torched a modern jeepney in Barangay Dahican in Catanauan on Jan. 31.

The suspects cried foul over their arrest, saying they were innocent, arrested without a warrant, and that no charges were filed against them when they were taken into custody.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has justified the warrantless arrest, saying the four were collared during hot pursuit. Lawmen said the four used the same vehicle as the arsonists.

However, the arrest was made despite CCTV footage showing that Castro and his friends were in Mulanay while the modern jeep was being burned. They claimed to be on vacation in Catanauan when the police nabbed them at a resort there.

In response, the police said that CCTV footage cannot be trusted since these can be altered.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros sought a Senate inquiry on the incident, saying that "arrest now, explain later" move of the police against Castro and the three others was wrong.

Safeguards under law

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla recently ordered the Quezon Provincial Prosecutor to ensure the speedy resolution of the case against Castro and the three others.

For his part, lawyer Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno, also one of Castro's legal counsels, said the filing of charges "opens up several avenues for the release of Jade and his companions, including the immediate dismissal of the case for lack of probable cause, release on bail, and quashal of the charge."

Diokno added that the filing of the case in court also gives Jade and his companions additional legal safeguards.

"As the accused in a court of law, they can now assert their right to a fair and speedy trial, to be presumed innocent, and other rights that protect ordinary people like Jade from vexatious and arbitrary prosecution," Diokno said in a statement on Friday. — Jo Casilao and Sundy Mae Locus/ VDV, GMA Integrated News