On March 5, 2021, the journalist Lady Ann Salem and the trade unionist Rodrigo Esparago have finally been released from prison. The accusations of alleged possession of firearms and explosives have been withdrawn and classified as weak.
The media group Manila Today for whom Salem writes expressed their happiness about the fact that justice prevailed in the end.
Although proven innocent already on 5th February 2021, Salem and Esparago have been detained until March because the prosecutors blocked their release. Salem and Esparagos had been arrested on 10th December 2020 during the celebrations of the International Human Rights Day.