Cervantes buried; killer still unknown

Slain Army Lt. Baron Cervantes was laid to rest yesterday morning as the family expressed confidence that justice will soon be served with the early solution of the case.

Cervantes, who was gunned down by a lone assailant at dusk on Dec. 31 in Pamplona, Las Piñas City, was buried at about 11 a.m. at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City without the traditional military honors.

Cervantes was in his military uniform, but the flag that draped the casket did not come from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

"We are still hopeful that those behind his death will be identified. We have confidence in the investigation," said Nick Cervantes, younger brother of the slain soldier.

Nick said the military honors could come later. "It is not asked for, but freely bestowed," he stressed.

He expressed surprise at the number of prominent and influential people who were among the more than 100 sympathizers, friends and relatives who attended the ceremonies.

"We never thought he knew this many influential and controversial persons. All these come as a surprise for all of us," Nick added.

He confessed that they knew very little of the nature of Baron’s job, save the simple fact that he was soldier.

"He was very secretive," Nick said.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez admitted that Cervantes worked for his office, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Addressing necrological rites for Cervantes on Saturday night at the Holy Trinity Memorial Chapel in Sucat, Golez paid tribute to the late soldier for diligence in delivering intelligence reports in the aftermath of the successful EDSA 2 and the failed EDSA 3.

Golez said he attended the necrological services as a representative of President Arroyo.

Meanwhile, homicide investigators were trying to establish the identities of people whose pictures were recovered from Baron’s pockets at the time he was killed in an effort to identify the assassin and possible accomplices.

The photographs showed some heavily tattooed men brandishing high-powered firearms.

Investigators have vowed to make an arrest soon.

Senior Superintendent Rafael Cardeno, who has been accused of complicity in the gunslaying, challenged his accusers to substantiate their allegations.

He stressed that Cervantes’ death should not be blamed on those cited for involvement in the destabilization efforts against the government.

In a three-page statement sent to reporters covering the defense department, Cardeno cited Cervantes’ group for "playing a simple scenario that is to consistently sow threats of instability by rumor mongering."

Danger sign seen in Cervantes slay

A non-government organization (NGO) expressed serious concern that the murder of Cervantes could be a "tell-tale sign of eminent danger which will tear this nation apart."

Glicerio Gervero, chairman of the Ang Bagong Katipunan, viewed the incident as a "chilling message to the Arroyo leadership that the perpetrators are not afraid of government authority and would certain take drastic moves for destabilization."

"It is more than just politics that maybe behind this slaughter. It gives us a picture of a more complex situation where we see the interplay of various forces at work here," Gervero said in a statement.

He noted that the administration appeared helpless in addressing a fractious military and police organizations.

"Rumors of a coup have been spreading like a proverbial wildfire for the past weeks. With the Cervantes killing, these talks could not just be ignored now because there are indicators that a segment in the military and civil society were unhappy with the state of affairs in the Arroyo government," he added.

He said the President may be trying to conceal the true state of the nation by expediently ignoring the restiveness in the military and the police.

"The entire nation is on fire. Here is a President peddling us with rosy pictures of the economy and stability amid the glaring backdrop of a fragmented military and police organizations," he added.

Meanwhile, leaders of the pro-administration Lakas-NUCD branded as "irresponsible and pure canard" alleged by Pastor "Boy" Saycon, secretary general of the Council of Philippine Affairs (COPA) that certain leaders of the ruling party were behind the coup plot.

Lakas media adviser Ed Malay said Saycon has been known as Cervantes’ handler and should be held liable for the death of the self-proclaimed spokesman of the military rightist group Young Officers’ Union (YOU).

Malay said Saycon’s accusations were merely meant to cover up his own culpability for Cervantes’ death, adding that the two men were known to have joined forces on several mass actions against the Arroyo administration.

"It would be unthinkable for the leaders of Lakas-NUCD which is the ruling party to be involved in plots to unseat the President who is the titular head of the party," Malay said in a statement.

For his part, Saycon deplored attempts to malign Cervantes "even after his death."

"Let us put a stop to this. Bong (Cervantes) can no longer defend himself," Saycon said.

He challenged Saycon to disclose to the police and the National Bureau of Investigation everything that he knew about the activities of Cervantes.

Opposition Sen. Robert Jaworski urged the people to stay vigilant against "non-comformist" groups plotting to destabilize the government.

Jaworski expressed alarm over persistent coup rumors marked by a call for another people power by the Philippine Consultative Assembly to topple the Arroyo administration.

He called on the President’s detractors and critics to seek redress of their grievances in a "sober and civil manner" within the limits of the law.

"Diversity of opinions is a salient part of democracy. But we must not forget that democracy also dictates that advancing belief or interest must be within the parameters of democratic sobriety. The people should not support but rather reject any cause if it is being carried out beyond the rule of law," Jaworski said in a statement. — With Christina Mendez, Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude