CEBU CITY, Aug. 29 (PNA) — State prosecutors have recommended the filing of criminal cases against three former Regional Highway Patrol Unit (RHPU) 7 officials tagged in the ambush-slaying of lawyer Noel Archival and two others six months ago in Barangay Corro, Dalaguete town in southern Cebu.
In his resolution, Deputy Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor Jesus Rodrigo Tagaan said he found enough evidence to indict Sr. Supt. Romualdo Iglesia, Sr. Ins. Joselito Lerion and Police Officer 1 Alex Bacani for multiple murder and frustrated murder.
“This office therefore finds probable cause to charge Iglesia, Lerion and Bacani and several John Does (unidentified persons) of the complex crime of multiple murder and frustrated murder for the death of Archival, Alejandro Jayme, Candido Miñoza, and the wounding of Paolo Cortes,” Tagaan ruled.
Tagaan served as acting Cebu provincial prosecutor after the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office inhibited from handling the complaints.
Iglesia, Lerion and Bacani, along with Chief Inspector Eduardo Mara and Senior Police Officer 4 Edwin Galan were charged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 for multiple murder and frustrated murder.
NBI agents Renan Oliva and Erme Monsanto said the respondents conspired with each other in committing the crime.
On February 18, 2014, Archival, his driver Jayme, and bodyguard Miñoza were killed in an ambush while they were on board a black Ford SUV while traversing Barangay Corro, Dalaguete, Cebu on the way to Cebu City.
Only Cortes, on call-assistant of Archival, survived the attack and narrated the ambush involving two vehicles, a red Toyota Vios with license plate number GSR 995 which suddenly overtook them and blocked their way and a Mitsubishi Strada pick-up that closely tailed them before they were mowed down by gunfire.
The NBI said prior to his death, Archival reported before the Mabolo Police Station that RHPU policemen tried to extort P200,000 from his client Jane Catherine Go.
The RHPU reportedly filed a complaint for carnapping, anti-fencing law and illegal transfer of vehicle license plate numbers against Go and Chris Reinz.
Archival also said he was getting death threats from the RHPU policemen in relation to the string of cases he filed against them before the Office of the Ombudsman and the courts.
Iglesia and other respondents denied the allegations.
Iglesia said the reason the NBI is “singling out” the RHPU 7 members as the suspects in the ambush and the “sudden twist in the description of the vehicles” as narrated by Cortes was because of the disbarment case filed by RHPU-NCR against Monsanto before the Supreme Court and before the Office of the Ombudsman.
In his decision, Tagaan set aside the contention of Iglesia and other respondents, saying the NBI filed the complaint and not Monsanto alone.
He said there was even no evidence that Monsanto framed them. (PNA)