PAO urges court to dismiss bullets case vs Boracay honeymooners

No less than the head of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) is asking the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 9 (Aklan) to drop the case against the newly-wed couple who were arrested for allegedly possessing bullets at the Caticlan Airport Boracay Airport in Malay town, Aklan province.

Atty. Persida V. Rueda-Acosta, chief of PAO, contends that Jerome Sulit of Quezon City and his wife are innocent.

To recall, the couple were arrested last April 28, 2016 as they checked in at the airport in Caticlan airport, on mainland Malay town.  They were supposed to fly back to Metro Manila after spending their honeymoon at Boracay Island.

Rueda-Acosta personally flew to Kalibo last Tuesday, May 24 and legally assisted the Sulit couple, who have been detained.  The Sulits are facing charges of violating the election gun ban.

The PAO chief told local media that “mere possession of bullet is not punishable… without any firearm, the bullet and its parts cannot be construed as ammunition where possession of it would be punishable.”

Acosta also cited a similar case dismissing the ‘tanim bala’ (bullet-planting) case of American missionary Lane Michael White by RTC Pasay City Judge Pedro Gutierrez.

“Bakit kakasuhan si Sulit, wala naman siyang intent to possess? At hindi naman dapat makukulong ang tao dahil sa bala lang…ang ammunition dapat may bullet, may gunpowder, may primer, may cartridge, at gagamitin sa firearm,” Acosta stressed. (Why file a case against Sulit when he has no intent to posses. People shouldn’t go to prison just for having a bullet. Ammunition should have a bullet, gunpowder, primer, cartridge, and a firearm to be used.)

Acosta is also appealing to other courts to dismiss cases against those who have been arrested for supposedly bringing bullets and other ammunitions.

Acosta also said that PAO has also filed charges against those who may have been involved in the laglag bala (bullet planting) scheme, which has been controversial since last quarter of 2015.