After four years in jail, PISTON National Vice President Ramon Rescovilla was released on December 4 following the dismissal of charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The charges were deemed baseless by a local court.
Judge Alym Almayda of the 5th Judicial Region, Branch 7, in Legazpi City, issued the court order on November 27, ruling in favor of Rescovilla. The decision cited doubts over the identity and integrity of the confiscated items, including a firearm and a hand grenade. Rescovilla had maintained that the items were not found in his possession but in a sling bag planted near him during his arrest. The court concluded that any doubt should be resolved in his favor.
Rescovilla, a prominent transport leader in the Bicol region, was arrested on September 7, 2020, in Brgy. Kilicao, Daraga, Albay, based on a July 3 arrest warrant linked to a murder charge. He later reported experiencing harassment and torture at the Daraga Police Station before being transferred to the Camarines Norte Provincial Jail. In February 2023, he was moved to the Albay Provincial Jail after posting bail for the murder charge.
PISTON National President and Makabayan senatorial candidate Mody Floranda said, “Our victories against fabricated charges show that our cause is just. The government’s actions only seek to suppress our rights to defend our livelihoods.”
On the same day of Rescovilla’s release, the Quezon City Municipal Trial Court dismissed charges of violating BP 880, or the “No Permit, No Rally” policy relating to the August 14, 2024 transport strike, against Floranda and other transport leaders due to a lack of probable cause.
In addition to his national position at PISTON, Rescovilla also serves as deputy secretary-general of CONDOR-PISTON, the group’s regional chapter in Bicol.