Court postpones presentation of state witness in Yongco slay

The presentation of Eddie Ardita, the motorcycle-for-hire driver who was admitted by the court to be the state witness into the shooting to death of lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco in 2004, would not be done as scheduled on August 28.

Private prosecutor Liza Corro had asked Regional Trial Court judge Bienvenido Saniel Jr. to move the hearing of the case to September 6 and 20 because the other members of the prosecution panel have some other cases to attend to late this month.

Saniel has already granted the prosecution's request.

Defense lawyer Orlando Salatandre Jr. had earlier objected to the admission of Ardita as state witness. But the court rejected his objection, saying that Ardita's testimonies could be necessary to determine the conspiracy of the other three accused.

Salatandre is representing accused Michel Favila, M/Sgt. Heracleo Rallestan and Nestor Carrol. The three are alleged members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association headed by Ruben Ecleo Jr., who is indicted for parricide in another court.

Yongco was reportedly gunned down inside her law office along Sikatuna Street on October 11, 2004 because of her active involvement in the prosecution of Ecleo as the lead private prosecutor of the case.

Salatandre earlier claimed that the court erred when it accepted Ardita as a state witness because based on the existing evidences, Ardita could be the most guilty among the accused.

He earlier argued that Ardita's testimonies are no longer needed because there are already three witnesses - Desederio Ruben, Jocelyn Gomez and Gina Teofilo - who could prove the conspiracy among the four accused, including Ardita.

Favila reportedly hired Ardita, a "habal-habal" driver to transport him from Talamban to Sikatuna Street on the morning of October 11, 2004.

Ardita said that it was him who inquired from the girl who was tending a store near Yongco's office if the lawyer was around, pretending to be a cousin who was seeking to have his marriage annulled.

Ardita then signaled to Favila upon learning that Yongco was the one who entered the gate beside the store leading to the law office.

After Favila reportedly gunned down Yongco, Ardita said he drove Favila back to Talamban where Favila gave him P5,000 as initial payment for his job. - Rene U. Borromeo