9 CHARGED IN GRISLY SLAY OF CAR TRADER / CARNAP 'CONSPIRACY' PROBE
[Photo at left - Raymond Dominguez (center), the alleged mastermind in the killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista, turns himself over to the Bulacan Provincial Police last Saturday. BERNARDO BATUIGAS]
MANILA, JANUARY 25, 2011 (STAR) By Cecille Suerte Felipe and Jerry Botial - Nine suspects in the grisly killing of used-car dealer Venson Evangelista were formally charged before the Quezon City Prosecutors Office late Saturday night amid tight security.
The alleged gang leader and mastermind Raymond Dominguez, meanwhile, sought police protection after he was implicated by Alfred Mendiola and Ferdinand Parulan, who were earlier arrested in connection with the case.
Quezon City Police District director Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, immediately after inquest proceedings that ended past midnight, said the prosecutors found probable cause to charge Mendiola (alias Bading, alias Allan Torres), Parulan (alias Batibot), and seven others with carjacking and murder.
Included on the charge sheet were the Dominguez brothers Roger and Raymond, the alleged masterminds, an alias Jason, driver of the Pajero that tailed Evangelista's Land Cruiser that was being road tested the day he went missing, an alias Rolly, the alleged gunman, an alias Joel, and two John Does.
Raymond is now in the custody of Region 3 Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Superintendent Manuel Lukban.
"The prosecutor has determined that Mendiola and Parulan were members of the same group that killed Venson," Mantele said, adding that conspiracy among the suspects was established by Prosecutor Solivan Usman.
"Evidence showed there was premeditation, a plan to kill Venson," he said.
The cases against the suspects still at large are still being investigated.
Superintendent Antonio Yarra of the Special Investigation Task Group Evangelista told The STAR that Mendiola and Parulan "admitted participation in at least some stages" while the crimes were being committed.
"None of them admitted to the killing," he said.
Police earlier charged the suspects with kidnapping but Mantele said this was absorbed by the more serious crime of murder. He said the kidnapping was only made as a means to consummate the killing. Car theft is a bailable offense (P180,000) while murder is nonbailable.
Director Leon Nilo de la Cruz, chief of the CIDG said they have a strong case against Dominguez and his brother, Roger.
"We have the statements of Mendiola and Parulan linking the Dominguez brothers to the crime. We also recovered physical evidence like the handgun, burnt driver's license and license plates which could bolster our case," said De la Cruz in an interview.
Usman said his findings were only initial and could still change.
The initial disposition needs the confirmation and approval of Chief Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon, State Prosecutor and officer-in-charge of the Quezon City Prosecutors Office.
Fadullon is expected to either approve or dismiss the recommendation today.
Lukban, on the other hand, said that the two suspects are still under his custody and will be detained at the Region 3 Investigation and Detection Management Division holding center at Camp Olivas in San Fernando,
Pampanga until the local court orders their commitment to the city jail.
No warrant of arrest yet
Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Alan Purisima said Raymond Dominguez signed a waiver that placed him under voluntary police protective custody of the Bulacan police Saturday night, just a few hours after Mendiola and Parulan were hailed to the Quezon City prosecutors office.
"We are not yet hunting down the Dominguez brothers since no arrest warrant has been issued against them," Purisima said.
However, he said he did not know where Raymond's brother was. "We have not monitored their movements, as we are concentrating on building up evidences in the Lozano case," he added, referring to the murder under similar circumstances of car dealer Emerson Lozano.
Dominguez gave himself up to Senior Superintendent Wendy Rosario, officer-in-charge of the Bulacan police and concurrent deputy director for operations of the Central Luzon police late Saturday at Camp Alejo Santos.
De la Cruz said they are readying a police lineup for witnesses to positively identify Dominguez.
"Once he is positively identified by our witnesses, we would immediately file charges against Dominguez so he would be sent behind bars," he said.
A civic leader who asked not to be named appealed to President Aquino to make sure that the protective custody arrangement is not a mere ploy to whitewash police coddling of the Dominguezes' carjacking operations.
Dominguez feels safer in custody
"Maybe he feels his safety is under threat," Purisima replied when asked why Raymond sought police protection.
He said the murder charges filed before the Quezon City prosecutor's office pertained only to the case of Evangelista.
"In the case of car dealer Emerson Lozano and his driver Ernani Sensil, we still have no direct evidence and so were are piecing together the other evidences so far to make sure the case we file on the case will have no loopholes," he said.
Dominguez said he would rather go to the police authorities to voluntarily explain himself instead of waiting for the police to issue a warrant against him.
His lawyer, Raymund Palad, explained that his client did not surrender but only sought "protective custody" because of fear for his life.
"There was no admission. How will he admit to the accusation when there is no case yet?" the lawyer said, referring to the testimony of the two other suspects in the case who linked Dominguez to the killing.
Raymond said he had talked to his brother Roger and they agreed that he would proceed first with their plan to cooperate with the investigation.
De la Cruz said he received reports that Roger would surrender but "he has not contacted us yet."
A raid on the two rented lairs of the Dominguez brothers last Friday night yielded a partially burned driver's license of Evangelista, as well as a 9 mm. pistol that might have been used to shoot the victims before their bodies were found in different locations in Central Luzon after they were reported missing last Jan. 12.
Purisima said the recovery of Evangelista's burned driver's license was a major breakthrough only in his case.
"So we can say that the Evangelista case has been solved, while we still have to gather direct evidences in the case of Lozano and Sensil," he stressed.
Lozano wants to help prosecution
Meanwhile, lawyer Oliver Lozano said he wants to play an active role in the prosecution of the alleged killers of his son. He has even asked the government to be given a copy of the criminal records of the suspects.
"I have asked permission from (Justice) Secretary Leila de Lima for the complete records of the prosecution for my evaluation so I can give my inputs," Lozano said, adding that he wants to help in building an "airtight case" against the suspects in the abduction and murder of his son.
While the police have yet to officially declare that the killing of Evangelista, Lozano's son and Sensil were related and perpetrated by the same group, Lozano said he has asked to be furnished a copy of the criminal records of what has been dubbed as the "Dominguez carjack group."
"Secretary De Lima and (Interior) Secretary (Jessie) Robredo have agreed to compile the criminal records of the Dominguez brothers," the elder Lozano, former legal counsel of the Marcoses, said yesterday.
"As a practicing lawyer for 43 years, the test of a successful prosecution is strong evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt," he added.
"If there's room for additional evidence, we should just go on gathering them," the father of the slain car dealer said. – Non Alquitran, Ding Cervantes, Reinir Padua, Dino Balabo, Ric Sapnu
FROM MANILA BULLETIN
Carnap 'conspiracy' probed Robredo eyes gov't officials' link to car thefts By GENALYN D. KABILING and CZARINA NICOLE O. ONG January 24, 2011, 7:17pm
MANILA, Philippines – The brutal kidnap-slay of a Manila-based car dealer is not yet closed as authorities are bent on hunting down the accomplices of the carnapping syndicate in government, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said Monday as he ordered the activation of the Peace and Order Councils (POCs) in Metro Manila in the wake of the spate of carjacking, drug trafficking, and other crime activities.
Robredo, in a news conference in the Palace, said they want to look into the suspected collusion between the carnapping group and some government agencies that help perpetuate their illegal activity.
Robredo questioned how Raymond Dominguez, a suspected car thief who recently surrendered to authorities over the Evangelista slaying, managed to post bail several times in the past although one of the cases was a non-bailable offense.
Dominguez has denied having anything to do with the kidnap-slay of Venson Evangelista, whose charred body was found in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
"There should be a thorough investigation to determine if Dominguez and his group have any cohorts in some government agencies," Robredo said in Filipino. "Carnapping will not flourish if they have no cohorts that help register the stolen vehicles, if they don't have cohorts in propagating this business," he added.
Robredo added the Evangelista murder cases will not be closed until the police determine the motive behind the killing.
At present, he said Dominguez faces 31 criminal cases, including 20 carnapping cases. At least one of the complaints against Dominguez is non-bailable.
"We must investigate who helped him post bail in a non-bailable offense. Why was his motion to grant bail not opposed despite his many cases?" Robredo inquired.
He noted that Dominguez must have spent around P3.4 million in bail money in the 19 criminal cases alone. "I think we have to investigate the case further. I think it is difficult declare it a closed case," he said.
Strong evidence
Director General Raul Bacalzo, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said police have strong cases against Raymond and Roger Dominguez for the abduction and killing of Evangelista, as well as the carnapping of the latter's Toyota Land Cruiser on January 13.
We have already identified the group... The evidence is strong. We just have to file the cases because that is what the law requires," said Bacalzo.
Robredo meantime assured the public that police force is exerting its best effort to keep peace and order in the country in the wake of the violent carnapping cases and other criminal activities. He has ordered the reactivation of the POCs in Metro Manila as well as the increased police visibility and mobilized "force multipliers" to protect the people from lawless elements.
"We are confident in the next two to three weeks, we will be able to reverse the crime wave. We are actually better in 2010 than 2009 in so far as carnapping cases but we still assume accountability in making sure this crime wave will be arrested," he said.
"We will like to assure the public that authorities will do best it can. We will not only arrest perpetrators but at the same time make sure this will not happen again," he said.
Binay rejects POCs
But Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay does not want Robredo to have a hand in the peace and order in the city, despite the carjacking of the high-end sports-utility vehicle of Margarita Fores, restaurateur and relative of former Senator Manuel Roxas II, in his jurisdiction.
Citing that "there is no convincing basis," Binay has turned down a request by Robredo for an urgent meeting with the mayor, key city officials, and all police commanders, but instead asked the DILG chief to provide a basis for its "sudden interest" in the peace and order situation in the city.
"I need to understand the sudden interest in Makati and its peace and order situation, which appears to have been prompted by the car theft incident involving a relative of Mr. Mar Roxas, who is the president of the Liberal Party (LP) of which you are the executive vice president," Binay said in a letter.
"Unless a convincing basis is provided, I regret that I must respectfully decline your request," he added.
As Robredo looks into the possible links of some government official to the carnap syndicate, Chief Supt. Alan L.M. Purisima, Central Luzon police director, ordered his police investigators to dig deeper whether the Dominguez brothers have anything to do with the kidnap-slay of Evangelista and Emerson Lozano, son of Marcos lawyer Oliver Lozano.
Purisima said arrested suspect Alfred Mendiola had earlier confessed about his role in the killing of Evangelista and had linked the Dominguez group to Lozano's murder.
No bail
As this developed, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed a bill that seeks to increase the penalty for carjackers and amend the 39-year-old law that has allowed criminal syndicates to openly engage in the illegal car trade.
Trillanes said he wanted to amend Republic Act No. 6539, the Anti-Carnapping Act of 1972, to make car theft a non-bailable offense under certain conditions and increase the penalties in light of the gruesome murders of car dealers Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano, and his driver, Ernane Sensil, by a suspected carjacking syndicate.
"It is time to plug the loopholes in the law that has allowed this reign of greed and terror of these criminal syndicates to persist despite the efforts of our law enforcement officers," Trillanes explained. (With reports from Anna Liza T. Villas, Aaron B. Recuenco, Franco G. Regala, Rolly T. Carandang, and Jeffrey G. Damicog)
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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