Nagbukas ng Facebook page, na tinawag nilang "Free Jade Castro NOW," ang mga nagmamalasakit sa direktor at sa tatlong kasama niya — sina Noel Mariano, Ernesto Orcine, at Dominic Ramos.
Dinakip ang apat sa Mulanay, Quezon, noong Pebrero 1, 2024 dahil sa akusasyong pagsunog sa isang modernized jeepney sa Catanauan, Quezon.
Read: DGPI at iba pang organisasyon, kinondena ang warrantless arrest sa direktor na si Jade Castro
Personal na inendorso ng pamilya ng mga akusado ang Free Jade Castro NOW Facebook page.
Ngayong Miyerkules, Pebrero 7, nagkaisa sila sa paglalabas ng opisyal na pahayag dahil buong-buo ang paniniwala nilang inosente ang mga nasasakdal na nagdurusa sa loob ng bilangguan.
Narito ang nilalaman ng pahayag ng mga kaanak ng mga akusado:
“Jade Castro, Noel Mariano, Ernesto Orcine, and Dominic Ramos are innocent.
"On January 31, 2024, they drove from Manila to Mulanay, Quezon, to attend the Cocolunay festival where they mingled with the locals and enjoyed the festivities.
"Numerous witnesses have attested to this.
"At around the same time, some 22 kilometers or more than half an hour away, in a barangay of another town in Quezon, four men wearing bonnets were allegedly seen hailing a modernized jeepney and, upon boarding it, flashed their guns and told the driver and the passengers to leave the vehicle.
"These unidentified men then set the jeep on fire.
"The following morning, policemen proceeded to the resort where Jade, Noel, Ernesto, and Dominic were staying, supposedly acting on a tip that four men had checked in to the resort, and to rule them out as suspects in the jeep burning incident. After questioning the four, the policemen left.
"More than six hours later, Jade, Noel, Ernesto, and Dominic were invited by the same police officers, to the police station to answer more questions.
"They voluntarily went with the police officers, and have since been detained at the Catanauan municipal police station.
"No evidence was found on them. No motive either to connect them to the jeep burning incident. And yet the four continue to be detained.
"This is unbelievable, to say the least.
"That they were arrested without due process, their mugshots released to and run by media outlets, together with a press statement by the police declaring the case solved prior to any thorough and complete investigation is unjust, unlawful, and inhumane.
"We, the families of Jade, Noel, Ernesto, and Dominic, demand a transparent and fair investigation.
"We ask all the concerned government agencies to look into this matter, assess the facts, and act accordingly and immediately.
"We ask the media to be more critical and fair.
"We ask everyone to be vigilant in following this case.
"We refuse to give up hope that the truth will prevail, and set Jade, Noel, Ernesto, and Dominic free.
"Help us bring them home."