After Case Downgraded To Homicide: Soldier who shot sergeant posts bail

CEBU, Philippines - The military officer who reportedly shot dead his senior official was able to post bail yesterday afternoon after the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office downgraded to homicide the complaint for murder that was earlier filed against him.

Corporal Jesusito Bayang was able to pay P40,000 for his temporary release after prosecutor Alexander Acosta downgraded the case against him for killing SSgt. Romeo Mendez last Friday morning inside Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay Apas.

Bayang, who was assigned at the finance section of Central Command, yesterday morning asked the City Prosecutor’s Office to dismiss the murder complaint lodged against him in relation to the killing of Mendez.

In a four-page counter affidavit, he said the murder complaint should immediately be dismissed saying the killing was justified on several grounds.

Bayang narrated in his counter affidavit that at 5 a.m. on September 4, Mendez went to their bunk house and woke them up by “striking and banging the walls and pulling my leg” to clean the surroundings of camp. Bayang was together with PFC Mark Anthony Lumapas, Rex Embolde and Edgar Delos Santos.

“That was not the first time he did such nasty things to his subordinates in the 5 years that we were together in our unit. In the event that we complained about his ill-treatment of us, he would even threaten to kill or maul us,” the accused said.

Further, he claimed that he was on the offensive side when Mendez told him “Ayaw sige’g reklamo kay corporal ra ka. Daghan na ra ba ko’g napatay. Basin og mapatay tika.”

At this junction, Bayang and Mendez exchanged arguments with the former telling his superior that he (Bayang) is “baldado” and small in built compared with his superior.

Bayang said he feared for his life and took his .45 caliber pistol as defense weapon. — Niña G. Sumacot and Ramil V. Ayuman/WAB(FREEMAN NEWS)