BATANGAS CITY:
Two prosecutors from Batangas City have become the subjects of an administrative complaint, lodged with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday. The complaint stems from allegations surrounding the illegal arrest and detention of two workers from the Eternal Gardens memorial park. These arrests were in connection with a marble grave marker that had gone missing.
Details obtained from the Philippines News Agency shed light on the matter. Eternal Gardens' legal representative, lawyer Alexis Oco, has taken further action by filing an urgent motion. The purpose of this motion is to request a change in the venue for the preliminary investigation into the theft complaint. The initial complaint was filed by State Prosecutor Edelwina Ebreo of the Batangas City Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) against five employees of Eternal Gardens. Oco is advocating for the venue to be moved from Batangas City to the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila.
The five employees named in Ebreo's complaint are Arnel Alibuzo, Marizza San Diego, Demetrio Peralta, Jocelyn Ann Buendia, and Reggie Reyes. Oco emphasized several irregularities that reportedly occurred during the arrest, detention, and inquest proceedings of two of the employees, San Diego and Alibuzo. These irregularities are the driving factor behind the administrative complaint presented before the DOJ.
Ebreo took responsibility for the arrests of Libuzo and San Diego. On the other hand, Deputy Prosecutor Evelyn Jovellanos was identified as having overseen the inquest proceedings for the two. It is noteworthy that neither San Diego nor Alibuzo had the assistance of their preferred counsel or even a public lawyer during this process.
Oco articulated his concerns, noting, "We observed violations of their rights, as they were subjected to questioning and inquest proceedings without the presence of any chosen counsel. The proceedings were presided over by another member from the City Prosecutor's Office, with neither a counsel of their choice nor a representative from the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) present."
Further emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Oco stated, "Given the numerous irregularities we've seen throughout the arrest, inquest, and detention of Ms. Marizza San Diego and Mr. Arnel Alibuzo, carried out by both the complainant and the investigating prosecutor, our legal team found it necessary to submit an administrative case. We are urging the Department of Justice to undertake a comprehensive investigation into this matter and administer the appropriate sanctions."
The roles played by the two prosecutors were brought into question, particularly their involvement in the duties typically reserved for arresting officers. This involvement included collecting statements from the two detained employees and even typing out official documents.
It's noteworthy that San Diego and Alibuzo were released from their detention on October 16th. Their release came three days post their arrest, which was carried out without a warrant, stemming from the complaint filed by Ebreo. Interestingly, Ebreo is a client of the two detained employees. The duo had been attempting to assist her regarding her concerns about the missing marble grave marker. However, their goodwill was met with accusations of theft. Following their arrest, they were detained and faced inquest proceedings, all while being deprived of counsel.