Montayre linked to ‘no proc,’ slay plot

A known supporter of former President Fidel V. Ramos was linked to a plot to stop the proclamation of President Arroyo through the assassination of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and other well-known personalities, the Department of Justice announced yesterday.

During a press briefing, acting Secretary Mereceditas Gutierrez disclosed that Roberto Camarista, a lawyer and dismissed police officer, implicated Linda Montayre of the People’s Consultative Assembly as one of those leading the plans to disrupt Mrs. Arroyo’s inauguration today.

Gutierrez said that according to Camarista, the original plan was to assassinate selected personalities including De Venecia but when this did not materialize, the plotters tried to carry out the second option, which was to bomb several government buildings in Metro Manila.

Camarista, who was charged with rebellion yesterday, said he met Montayre in Quezon City during the planning of the aborted plot and maintained contact with her until the planting of the improvised bombs in several areas in the metropolis, including the vicinity of a church in Makati City, near the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) building on EDSA in Quezon City and in a restaurant near the defense department building at Camp Aguinalso also in Quezon City.

The improvised explosive devices were found and detonated before they exploded.

Last week, security forces raided Camarista’s house in Cainta, Rizal and seized bomb-making materials. They failed to apprehend him but three caretakers were detained, one of whom linked him to the plot against the government.

Gutierrez said that several witnesses affirmed that Camarista, Montayre and their alleged financier, Ben Sim, wanted to topple the Arroyo administration. These statements, she said, could bolster the cases against those who planned to destabilize the Arroyo administration.

Following the Cainta raid, charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and conspiracy to commit rebellion were filed against Camarista along with Sim, Dante Fuertes, Antonio Mercader, Rolly Pillado, a certain Lord and Sagi and five John Does.

Fuertes, Camarista’s househelp, might be considered a state witness after he confessed that he saw his co-accused make the bombs in Camarista’s house in Cainta. Gutierrez, however, said that the charges would still be evaluated after the investigation.

Camarista, who surrendered in Malolos City in Bulacan last Friday night to Assistant Defense Secretary Ricardo Blancaflor, claimed he was only invited by Montayre to join the group with three other leaders who are not yet identified.

NBI Assistant Regional Director Marianito Panganiban said that based on Camarista’s testimony, the assassination plot was called off after the group realized that no one among them could operate a rocket-propelled grenade.

"Of course, they would need a powerful device to match the armored van of Speaker De Venecia," Panganiban explained.

The DOJ has already issued a subpoena to Montayre to give her the opportunity to present her side.

State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco encouraged Montayre to submit her counter-affidavit and assured the suspects that the DOJ will accord them due process.

"We don’t believe the stories yet. We will have to evaluate the evidence first. I don’t even consider her a suspect at this time," Velasco said. Gutierrez said the DOJ and the NBI would determine the other details of the plot in due time.