THE Court of Appeals Third Division revoked the bail of six Manila Arena security personnel charged with the abduction and serious illegal detention of “missing sabungeros” in January 2022. The 18-page ruling overturned Manila RTC Branch 40’s decision granting bail, citing grave abuse of discretion. The prosecution’s certiorari petition argued that strong evidence existed to prove guilt, and the CA agreed.
The CA rejected the lower court’s assertion that the victims’ voluntary entry into a van, without a struggle or weapons, negated deprivation of liberty. The court highlighted the victims’ subsequent untraceability, even by police, as compelling evidence of kidnapping or detention.
The CA dismissed a witness recantation as unreliable, attributing it to the stress of the witness protection program rather than a genuine change of testimony.
The accused, which had been temporarily freed after posting P3 million bail each in December 2023, are now subject to rearrest as requested by the National Prosecution Service.
