The Pasig City Regional Trial Court on Thursday convicted Abu Sayyaf leader Hector Janjalani after finding him guilty for the abduction of students and teachers in Basilan in March 2000.
In a 391-page decision, Judge Florian Gregory Abalajon of Pasig City RTC, Branch 261, found Janjalani guilty of 18 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
The lower court meted out to him a penalty of reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment without the benefit of parole.
On the other hand, Janjalani’s co-accused Daud Baru was found guilty of 52 counts of the same offense.
The Pasig City court ordered the accused to jointly and severally pay each of the victims P75,000 as civil indemnity ex delicto, P75,000 as moral damages and P30,000 as exemplary damages.
Judge Abalajon conducted the promulgation inside the New Bilibid Prison.
Earlier, the Pasig court convicted 66 other members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
The court said 29 accused were guilty of 52 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. One accused was acquitted of the eight counts but found guilty of 44 counts.
On the other hand, 10 accused were found guilty of 41 counts of serious illegal detention, while 12 were convicted for 18 counts.
Three accused were found guilty of 11 counts and 11 were found guilty of seven counts of the same offense.
Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani, Abu Sabaya, and Isnilon Hapilon were among those originally charged.
But the three died in various military encounters. Hapilon died last year at the height of the Marawi siege.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong represented the government in the case.
The kidnapping incident in 2000 was on the abduction of teachers and students at Sinangkapan Elementary School and Tumahubong Elementary School.