Former Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander Brig. Gen. Jesus P. Durante and Col. Michael D. Licyayo, along with other military personnel, were arraigned on Tuesday before a military court on charges relating to the murder of model and entrepreneur Yvonette Chua Plaza. Plaza was shot dead outside her rented house at Green Meadow Subdivision in Barangay Santo Niño, Tugbok on December 29, 2022. Durante, who headed the 1001st Infantry Brigade, was allegedly the mastermind in the premeditated killing of Plaza while Licyayo, the brigade’s deputy commander, provided the gunmen with details of the victim’s whereabouts as well as logistics to execute the murder. Other enlisted military personnel involved in the murder case are SSgt. Gilbert Plaza, SSgt. Delfin Llarenas Sialsa Jr., Cpl. Adrian N. Cachero, PFC Rolly Cabal, and PFC Romart Longakit. Longakit remains missing.
The arraignment started at 10:30 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. Formal hearings have yet to be scheduled, and officials from the headquarters of the Philippine Army can speak about the development of the proceedings before the General Court Martial. In a press statement, Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., chief of the Philippine Army, approved the administrative charges against the military officials and personnel and subsequently ordered them placed under General Court Martial. The General Court Martial is chaired by the Court President, Maj. Gen. Jose Eriel M. Niembra, who is the current 10th Infantry Division Commander.
The military has faced a longstanding issue of investigating and punishing its personnel for human rights abuses, with critics alleging that it allows an environment where members of the armed forces can commit rights violations without consequence. The military has since tried to take steps to address the issue. In 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Act, which seeks to ensure respect for IHL and other human rights and stipulates that members of the military and police found guilty of violations can no longer avail themselves of state indemnification. In February 2022, the military established the Armed Forces of the Philippines Human Rights Office (AFPHRO) under the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (J1). The AFPHRO intends to strengthen the services’ human rights mechanisms and ensure that its troops adhere to international human rights standards.
