MANILA, March 12 -- A court in Quezon province has ordered the release of film director Jade Castro and his three companions who were detained for allegedly burning a modern jeepney in the town of Catanauan.

In its 16-page order dated March 11, Catanauan, Quezon Regional Trial Court Branch 96 Judge Julius Francis Galvez granted the motion of Castro, Ernesto Orcine, Nel Mariano, and Dominic Ramos to to quash the destructive arson charges due to the "absence of reasonable connections between the report of the MPS (Municipal Police Station) Mulanay obtained through a dragnet operation and the initial statements given by the witnesses."

The four were released from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Catanauan on Monday fo...