Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19) — Eternal Gardens employees on Thursday have filed an administrative complaint against two prosecutors in Batangas City after they were arrested without a warrant and underwent inquest without their lawyer.
Lawyer Alexis Oco said they have filed a complaint to formally ask the Secretary of Justice to look into possible irregularities in relation to the illegal arrest, inquest proceeding, and detention of Arnel Alibuzo and Marizza San Diego on Oct. 13.
Oco said two Eternal Gardens employees were arrested by authorities based on a complaint filed by a prosecutor, alleging theft of a missing marble marker of her father’s grave.
Upon their arrest, Oco said the employees were detained for three days before they were released after posting bail.
\”[T]here was already a violation of their rights since they were subjected to investigation, questioning without the presence of any counsel of their choice,\” he said.
\”And the inquest proceeding was presided [over] by another member of the city prosecutor’s office without the presence of counsel of choice of the two employees or even a member of the Public Attorney’s Office,\” Oca added.
They also filed a motion before the DOJ seeking to transfer the venue of the preliminary investigation for the theft complaint they filed in Batangas City.
Oco said this will spare everyone from doubts of partiality given that the complainant is a sitting member of the city prosecutor’s office of Batangas.
The lawyer did not mention the name of the prosecutors. But in a copy of the motion to transfer venue of preliminary investigation obtained from the same lawyer, the two Batangas city prosecutors were identified as Deputy Prosecutor Evelyn Jovellanos and Prosecutor Edelwina Ebreo.
CNN Philippines reached out to Jovellanos and Ebreo. Jovellanos maintained she just did what was necessary.
