Bayan Negros Secretary General Christian Tuayon, who was arrested at the Bacolod City downtown area Monday last week for robbery, yesterday said that he is filing charges against the Provincial Prosecutor and the person who tagged him as a suspect in the raid of a fish farm in Sagay City, Negros Occidental last year.

Tuayon was at  a rally when he was arrested by joint operatives of the Philippine National Police Intelligence Group, Bacolod City Police and the Army’s Intelligence group. The arrest warrant for robbery-in-band against him and his companions was issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Renato Muñez but he was released Tuesday after posting P40,000 in bail.

Tuayon said he learned from the court that his name was included by a rebel-returnee as among those who raided the farm of Joseph Edgar Sarrosa, nephew of Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. in Brgy. Bulanon, Sagay City, on July 16 last year, where several guns were seized.

He said he is filing charges against the prosecutor who decided on the case, claiming he was not given due process and did not receive any subpoena to answer the accusations against him.

He added that he and his lawyers are also mulling charges against the staff of the 62nd Infantry Battalion because he believes they had a hand in the inclusion of his name in the arrest warrant.

Aside from Tuayon, Ronald Ian Evidente, spokesperson of the Kilusang Mayo Uno-Negros was also included in the arrest warrant but he was not arrested, contrary to reports (not in the DAILY STAR) because the policemen did not recognize him.

In his official statement, Evidente said he did not rob anyone because he is a labor leader who fights for workers “robbed” of just wages, secured jobs and trade union rights by their employers.

Evidente said the inclusion of their names in the robbery-in-band charges was done with malice and is a form of harassment to cripple the trade union movement in Negros.

Evidente is set to post bail tomorrow for the charges against him.

The National Union of People’s Lawyers in the Philippines is helping Tuayon and Evidente.*APN

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