Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — The Olongapo Prosecutors Office has junked again the motion for reconsideration filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against Ronnel Mas, the teacher who was arrested without a warrant after allegedly offering a ₱50 million reward to anyone who can kill President Rodrigo Duterte.
Acting provincial prosecutor JT Leonardo Santos denied the motion for reconsideration for lack of probable cause.
“It is not that a crime has not been committed that the case has been dismissed. It is the insufficiency of evidence to prove that indeed the respondent is the perpetrator of the crime,” he wrote in a resolution dated June 22.
Santos added that the NBI failed to provide enough evidence that it was Mas who owned the Twitter account @RonPrince_, who offered the bounty over the social media app. He said the NBI also submitted a CD of Mas’ supposed confession to the media, but it was not authenticated.
“The complainant has failed the required quantum of evidence required in a preliminary investigation,” he said.
The prosecutor said the NBI can refile the case with sufficient documents and evidence to establish probable cause.
The NBI arrested Mas without a warrant in Sta. Cruz, Zambales on May 11, 2020 over the Twitter post. He was brought to the bureau’s headquarters in Manila where he reportedly confessed to the media and apologized for his tweet.
This is the third time the NBI lost in its attempt to charge the public school teacher with inciting to sedition. Santos in February also dismissed the complaint for lack of probable cause.
In June 2020, an Olongapo court dismissed the first inciting to sedition charge. Judge Richard Paradeza of the Olongapo City RTC Branch 72 ruled that Mas was illegally arrested and ordered his release.
Mas’ lawyer Dino de Leon said the third loss should be a sign for the NBI to finally accept defeat.
“They should already stop harassing Teacher Ronnel. The officers concerned should be reminded that President Duterte’s term is about to end, but their administrative and criminal accountabilities for their illegal actions remain. I urge then to observe the rule of law and to move on,” he said in a statement.
