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A Year Ago, Jade Castro’s Arrest Revealed Police Negligence

In February 2024, ‘Zombadings’ director Jade Castro’s wrongful arrest and detainment drew criticism from artists and lawyers

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Jade Castro
Photo from Jade Castro/Facebook

On February 1, 2024, filmmaker Jade Castro and three friends, Ernesto Orcine, Noel Mariano, and Dominic Ramos, were arrested — without a warrant — on suspicion of arson. The group was accused of setting an e-jeepney on fire in Barangay Dahican, Catanuan, Quezon Province on January 31, 2024, while they were in the municipality of Mulanay, which was around 24 km away.

Castro and his companions were detained at the Catanauan Municipal Police Station for 40 days and were released on March 11, 2024, after the court dismissed the arson charge against them.

The warrantless arrests and detainment by local police drew the attention of lawyers, lawmakers, and artists, with many criticizing the lack of due process. The Directors Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) called for the group’s immediate release. Senator Risa Hontiveros called for a Senate investigation into the arrests two weeks later.

“Mismong mga LGU officials ng Mulanay, Quezon ang nagsabi na nasa kabilang bayan noon sila Direk Jade, at may CCTV na nagpapatunay diyan,” Hontiveros said. “Pero iginigiit ng [Philippine National Police] PNP na hindi daw pwedeng pagkatiwalaan ang CCTV ng lokal na pamahalaan.”

CCTV footage showed the group’s car driving through a road in Mulanay at 7 p.m. on January 31, 2024, around the same time that the e-jeep caught fire. Mulanay government officials also confirmed Castro and his group’s presence at the rehearsal of a local pageant for filming that evening.

Burned modernized jeep in Catanauan, Quezon
The burnt-down e-jeepney in Catanauan, Quezon, January 31, 2024. Photo from Police Regional Office 4-A Facebo

The PNP initially justified the arrests, saying it was lawful on the basis that the police followed eyewitness accounts and the group was in “hot pursuit.” The police also said that Castro had motive, having allegedly voiced his opposition to jeepney modernization on social media. Following Castro’s release, however, the PNP filed administrative charges against the officers involved in the arrest.

Human rights lawyer and Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) Chair Attorney Chel Diokno — who served as Castro’s legal counsel — said that Castro’s arrest revealed “systemic flaws.”

“‘Yong problema sa atin, ‘yong ating PNP, ‘yong ginagamit nilang batayan ay ang tinatawag na clearance and solution rate, which only pertains to identifying a suspect and filing a complaint,” Diokno said. “Hindi sila nangongolekta ng sapat at matibay na ebidensya na panigurado na talagang may basis ang pag-prosecute.”

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