Trader fears for his life after Mary Ann took his picture

Filipino-Chinese businessman Jake Yu believes that Cebu City assistant prosecutor Mary Ann Castro is planning to have him killed after the lady prosecutor took his picture from the court records. "I am beginning to fear for my life," Yu said in a two-page sworn statement submitted before the Cebu City prosecutor's office to support the filing of a complaint for malicious mischief against Castro.

Yu charged Castro for malicious mischief for taking his front view picture from the court dockets and never had returned it. Castro was ordered to pay a fine of P5,000 after she was found guilty of contempt of court for that offense.

Judge Rosabella Tormis of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities was not satisfied with the prosecutor's explanation when she took a picture from the court records without permission last August 12. But Castro was quick to file a motion for reconsideration of the order and questioned the P5,000 fine. Castro took the picture of Jake Yu, whom she charged, along with his brother Nanak, with malicious mischief and grave slander by deed before the court.

Personnel from MTCC branch 4 were surprised when Castro detached Yu's photo from court dockets and rushed out of the office.

However, Castro immediately returned the "left side view" photo of Jake Yu, but the "front view" is still missing and the lady prosecutor just said "Basin gitangag to sa ilaga (A rat might have run away with it)."

Yu said he is beginning to fear for his life after his neighbors in P. Gullas Street informed him Castro was allegedly spotted pointing at his house last August 10 while the fiscal was onboard a vehicle with two companions.

Aside from Castro, Yu's neighbors had also observed for already quite a time that some unidentified motorcycle-riding men seemed to be casing his place. "I have a reason to fear for my life because a certain Cherry Augusto was shot to death after she had filed immorality charges against Castro," Yu said.

Their conflict started when Castro and the Yu brothers engaged in a heated argument after the lady prosecutor parked her car in front of the businessmen's store a few months ago. - Rene U. Borromeo