A Taguig City court has acquitted two high-ranking members of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and three others of kidnapping with murder charges.

The case stemmed from the deaths of a soldier and a civilian in 2007.

In a 30-page decision dated 14 August, Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 266 acquitted NDFP consultants Tirso Alcantara and Renante Gamara, along with Diony Borre, Dionisio Almonte and Raul Razo.

The court found that the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The charges were related to the kidnapping and killing of Ereberto Eclavea, a member of the Philippine Army, and a man named Richard Cortizano. The court said while the killings were established through a witness’s testimony, the witness’s statements about the accused were hearsay. The witness said he learned about the incident and the people involved from two other individuals.

Also, the court cited the prosecution failed to establish the identities and participation of Alcantara, Gamara and Razo. It also said the witness was never recalled to establish their involvement and identities.

In a statement, the support group Karapatan welcomed the decision. Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said the public prosecutors had the “insidious practice” of amending arrest orders by adding the names of targeted individuals.