The family of Enrique Manas Sr. has again urged the Department of Justice to proceed with the filing of murder charges against the accused in the 2017 Manas ambush case.
The appeal came after reports that the camp of Emilio Zosa filed a motion for reconsideration questioning the DOJ’s latest action on the case.
The Manas family also cited the recent ruling of the Supreme Court of the Philippines upholding DOJ Circular No. 20, which raised the evidentiary standard in preliminary investigations from probable cause to prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction before criminal cases may be filed in court.
Legal observers said the High Court ruling further reinforced the DOJ’s legal basis for filing criminal charges in the Manas case under the same standard.
On 6 April, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, under the leadership of Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, announced that criminal information against Zosa, Arturo Deborborn, Ricky Calagos, Reymart Antivo, and Sofronio Medoranda had already been received by the court on 19 March 2026.
The filing implemented the 16 January 2025 resolution issued by former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla directing prosecutors to file charges after finding sufficient evidence to elevate the case to trial.
According to the Manas family, the resolution resulted from a careful evaluation of evidence and should now allow the case to proceed to full court proceedings where both parties can present their arguments.
Nearly nine years after the ambush in Sta. Margarita, the family continues to seek justice and urged the courts to finally hear the case in full trial proceedings.
