Group decries 'ghost witness' in illegal gun possession case

Political prisoner support group Kapatid on Tuesday denounced what it described as a "ghost witness" in the illegal possession of firearms and explosives case against Vicente Ladlad, Alberto Villamor, and Virginia Villamor before a Quezon City court.

Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim, Ladlad's wife, said the defense is set to challenge the prosecution's alleged reliance on a "seemingly fictitious informant" during a hearing before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 93.

According to the group, defense lawyers will present a barangay secretary and a former homeowners association president as witnesses to testify that the police informant whose information was used to obtain the search warrant did not exist.

"Even if the prosecution tries to suddenly conjure up a flesh-and-blood individual under this name at the eleventh hour, it will not change the fact that barangay records prove no such resident ever existed when the warrant was sought," Lim said in a statement.

"The entire case rests on a poisoned tree rooted in deliberate perjury, making their evidence legally inadmissible," she added.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Department of Justice and will publish its response once it becomes available.

Ladlad and the Villamors were arrested in November 2018 after police served search warrants at their residence in Novaliches, Quezon City.

Ladlad served as a peace consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in its peace negotiations with the government and has long been identified by authorities as a senior official of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Police, however, maintained that his November 2018 arrest was based solely on the alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives and was not related to his purported ties to the communist movement.

Authorities said they recovered firearms, ammunition, and explosives during the operation, leading to charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The three have consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the evidence was planted and that the charges were fabricated.

Kapatid said Ladlad, 76, has been diagnosed with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in acute exacerbation and now experiences breathing difficulties that prevent him from walking for more than 10 minutes.

The group added that Virginia, 75, can no longer walk without assistance, while her husband Alberto, 72, suffers from diabetes.

"Our imprisoned loved ones are growing increasingly ill under the weight of fabricated charges while the powerful enjoy special privileges and hospital suites despite facing real plunder cases," Lim said.

"We urge RTC Branch 93 to uphold the fundamental right to due process, dismiss this case built entirely on a web of falsehoods, and finally put an end to this eight-year nightmare," she added.— MCG, GMA News