Isabela city: A court in Isabela City, Basilan province has temporarily halted the execution of arrest warrants against a female town mayor and her co-accused due to pending motions before the court.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 2 in Isabela City issued this order after the accused, represented by their legal counsel, submitted an urgent motion for reinvestigation and requested the withdrawal of the arrest warrants. The court's decision comes in response to the warrants issued on August 20 for charges including murder, frustrated murder, and attempted murder against Hadji Muhtamad Mayor Arsina Kahing Nanoh and her co-accused, which include Nadz Nanoh, Walihul Allama, Hadji Rahim Kahim, Lucman Kaling, Tudy Bayro, Sing Hassan, Arsina Kahing Nanoh, and seven John Does.
In a statement provided on Tuesday, lawyer Quirino Esguerra Jr., representing the accused, indicated that they have petitioned the court to dismiss the cases due to an alleged lack of probable cause or to refer them back to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor for further scrutiny. Esguerra stated that the court has scheduled a hearing for their motion on September 4 at 8:30 a.m.
Esguerra also mentioned that the court has instructed the prosecution to submit its comment or opposition within ten days from receiving the order. The criminal allegations against Nanoh and her co-defendants are linked to a violent incident on May 12, 2025, near Barangay Sangbay Big, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan, which led to the deaths of Ben Bakil, Murasidol Abdurahman, and Samir Jamiri Allil, as well as injuries to several others. Notably, Abdurahman served as a poll watcher during the May 12 midterm elections, while Bakil and Allil were supporters of former Hadji Muhtamad mayor Jamar Mansul, who was contesting the mayoral position against Nanoh.
Esguerra clarified that the court's August 24 order to temporarily suspend the arrest warrants does not equate to a dismissal of the cases or a permanent recall of the warrants. "It just temporarily prevents their enforcement while the court considers and resolves the defendants' motions," he explained.
