Two ranking members of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) were acquitted by a Taguig court of kidnapping with murder charges over the 2007 deaths of a soldier and a civilian.

NDFP consultants Tirso Alcantara and Renante Gamara, along with Diony Borre, Dionisio Almonte, and Raul Razo, were cleared in a 30-page decision dated 14 August by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 266. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

“For failure of the prosecution to prove the identities and participation of accused Alcantara, Almonte, Borre, Gamara, and Razo in the kidnapping and killing of Eclavea and Cortizano, this Court finds that discussing the elements of the crime of murder is already futile,” the decision read.

The charges stemmed from the kidnapping and killing of Philippine Army member Ereberto Eclavea and Richard Cortizano.

The court noted that while a witness testified that the New People’s Army (NPA) held a “trial” for the two victims and named individuals allegedly involved, the testimony was considered hearsay. The witness admitted his knowledge came only from what others told him.

The court added that the prosecution failed to establish the identities and direct participation of Alcantara, Gamara, and Razo, and did not recall the witness to confirm their involvement.

Rights group Karapatan welcomed the ruling, saying the charges were fabricated.

Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said prosecutors have the “insidious practice” of amending arrest warrants to include targeted personalities by claiming aliases matched their names without sufficient basis.

She added that the accusations were built on the perjured testimony of a supposed rebel surrenderee, Erwin Rosales, whose claims were dismissed by the court as hearsay, as well as the prosecution’s failure to establish the accused’s participation in the crime.