Manila court allows bail for Atimonan massacre suspects 

A Manila judge has allowed police officers facing multiple murder charges in connection with the 2013 Atimonan bloodbath to post bail in exchange for their temporary freedom. 

An order handed down by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34  Judge Liwliwa Hidalgo-Bucu on Tuesday granted the bail petition of the following accused: 

• Supt. Hansel Marantan
• Chief Inspector Grant Gollod
• Senior Inspector John Paolo Carracedo
• Senior Inspector Timoteo Orig
• SPO3 Joselito De Guzman
• SPO1 Carlo Cataquiz
• SPO1 Arturo Sarmiento
• PO3 Eduardo Oronan
• PO2 Nelson Indal
• PO1 Wryan Sardea
• and PO1 Rodel Talento

The court set the bail at P300,000 each. 

The order only stated that all bail petitions have been resolved except that of PO1 Al Bhazar Jailani.

Under Section 13, Article III of the 1987 Constitution, a judge grants bail to an accused in a criminal case punishable by imprisonment of up to 40 years if the evidence of guilt is not strong.

The case stemmed from the death of 13 victims who were gunned down at a checkpoint by a joint force from the local police and military on January 6, 2013 in Atimonan, Quezon. 

The Atimonan incident was passed off by Marantan, the mission commander, as a legitimate operation against the group of suspected jueteng lord Vic Siman.

But in its investigation report, the NBI said there was no indication that the implicated government forces "desisted or prevented their group from shooting the victims" even if one of them was already raising his hands in surrender.

The NBI also noted the intentional act of tampering evidence by changing the positions of guns and other objects to mislead investigators and wipe out traces of the crime to prevent authorities from detecting irregularities in the implementation of checkpoint operations.

Marantan and his co-accused were dismissed from the service in April 2014. — RSJ/BAP, GMA News