Berger, Esdrelon to forgive, forget: Couple won't sue CPPO over arrest

CEBU, Philippines - The officials of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) responsible for the arrest of a Norwegian and his Filipina girlfriend in relation to the death of a six-year-old girl can heave a sigh of relief as the erstwhile suspects would not pursue charges against them.

Despite the shame brought upon them because of the arrest, Norwegian Sven Erik Berger and Filipina nurse Karen Esdrelon, said they will not anymore file charges against those who had them arrested for the kidnap-slay of Ellah Joy Pique.

The couple has been released after the provincial prosecutor’s office found no ground to charge them.

The couple said that they want to “bury and forget everything.”

Lawyer Salvador Solima, counsel of the couple, told The Freeman yesterday that although his clients suffered emotionally and psychologically because of their arrest, the two are currently enjoying their freedom after they were detained for 16 days at the CPPO detention cell.

The complaint against Berger and Esdrelon was recommended to be dismissed by the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office after finding that the evidence against them is insufficient to indict them of the crime charged.

The prosecutor’s office further recommended the release of the couple.

One thing that the couple would pursue though is their plan to get married this November in the town of Tuburan in northern Cebu, which is Esdrelon’s hometown.

Solima also said that the plan of the father of the victim to file an appeal before the Department of Justice would only weaken their case further as the credibility of the children, who are the witnesses would be questioned.

“We instead urged the police to gather more evidence and strengthen their evidence so that the real culprits will be brought to justice,” Solima said.

Three witnesses, who are all minors, tagged Berger and Esdrelon as the ones who kidnapped Ellah Joy last February 8 in Calajoan, Minglanilla, Cebu.

Berger and Esdrelon were, however, able to show documentary evidence including footage from the closed circuit TV of a hotel that it was impossible for them to be at the crime scene.

Their documentary evidence and the footage were confirmed by the National Bureau of Investigation-Region VII.

The NBI report and the other evidence were given credence by the prosecutors who handled the complaint.

Ellah Joy’s body, wrapped in a bed sheet was found at the foot of a cliff in Barili town, the day after she was kidnapped.

BERGER VISITS GWEN

Berger visited Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia at Capitol yesterday after his release from detention.

Garcia said that she hopes the Norwegian national will still have a good impression of Cebu despite what he experienced.

Berger thanked the governor saying he was pleased with Garcia’s action giving them justice as they were proven innocent by the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on Monday.

“I am very happy that the case is closed. I come here to thank the governor. We had justice and that’s a very good thing,” Berger said.

He hopes that the investigation will continue so that the real perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice.

He said that his countrymen were not happy with what happened to him though.

Garcia said the couple was lucky that they went to places where their movements were recorded.

“You are lucky your whereabouts were documented and your “alibis” work in your favor,” she said.

OTHER LEADS

The Police Regional Office-7 is pursuing other leads on the case.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, spokesperson of the task force PRO-7 created for Ellah Joy Pique’s case, said that while they are not disregarding the case against Berger and Esdrelon, they are focusing on their current leads.

“Gi-preparahan na namo ang worst case scenario. Gi-anticipate na namo na if ma-dismiss, what are we going to do is…the case can be refiled, but mu-gather na sad ta og more evidence. We’re now working on the (two) new information we received last week na maka-help sa atong investigation karon,” Comendador said yesterday.

Comendador did not elaborate much about their investigation, but he disclosed they have two adults who also witnessed the incident.

He said this time they will do a meticulous, objective and careful process in investigating the case.

“Ing ani jud ning kaso, we win some, we lose some. Naa gani usahay abi nimo dili ma-dismiss nya ma-dismiss diay. Usahay ma-disappoint ta but that does not make us frustrated or hopeless or ma-low moral,” Comendador said. – with Ria Mae Y. Booc and Niña G. Sumacot/NLQ (FREEMAN)