Aguino-Galman soldiers to identify slay brains if case is reopened

Who masterminded the killing of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and his alleged communist assassin Rolando Galman 21 years ago?

This mystery has kept 15 soldiers in jail for over a decade and it may be unraveled by new testimony from those convicted of the crime if the case is reopened.

Assisted by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), jailed former M/Sgt. Pablo Martinez of the defunct Aviation Security Command (Avsecom) yesterday filed a four-page affidavit peppered with Biblical passages before the office of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Dionisio Santiago.

Martinez reiterated in his affidavit his earlier claim that his superiors, who were involved in the assassination of Aquino and Galman, were the men of a business tycoon and close relatives of former President Corazon Aquino.

Once again, Martinez cleared the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the killings.

Martinez and 14 other Avsecom soldiers who were at the Manila International Airport (now the Ninoy Aquino International Airport) at the time of the Aquino-Galman double murder on Aug. 21, 1983 have been in jail at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, since they were convicted of complicity in the murders in 1990. The 15 soldiers were sentenced to serve two life terms.

The Aquino assassination served as a catalyst for a firestorm of rage and protests that eventually culminated in the ouster of Marcos in what is now known as the 1986 EDSA revolt and catapulted Aquino’s widow, Corazon, to the presidency.

The jailed ASG soldiers, meanwhile, will only be freed if they name the mastermind behind the Aquino-Galman double slay.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) tasked the PAO with providing the former Avsecom soldiers with legal aid.

PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta assisted Martinez in filing his affidavit.

Martinez did not name the murder mastermind in his statement, saying he fears for his life and wants to reserve this bombshell for any new investigation.

"I will name (the mastermind) in the proper forum: In a congressional inquiry or a reopening of our case," Martinez said.

He also said the 14 other soldiers convicted for their involvement in the murders had no knowledge of the plans to murder Aquino. Martinez has kept his peace all these years for fear of being "silenced."

"There were some attempts to silence me a few days after that fatal day," he said. "But God is gracious. Their moves were foiled. The Lord’s divine protection was with me."

Martinez, 67, is now a pastor. "Hopefully, this testimony will help our battle for justice and eventually free my 14 co-accused and me," he added.

The information he hopes to reveal was not divulged during the case hearings because he was told by his superiors that withholding the information would be to his advantage, he said.

In a letter sent to former President Fidel Ramos dated Jan. 19, 1994, Martinez said he was ordered to shoot Galman if Galman failed in his mission to assassinate Aquino.

In the same letter, Martinez said his deputy commander, Avsecom Col. Romeo Ochoco, and squadron commander Capt. Felipe Valerio, also have information on the killings and could be possibly linked to the mastermind.

"I think they (Ochoco and Valerio) are ready to reveal the truth by this time," Acosta said. "It would be more detailed and the mastermind would now come out."

The PAO chief said she spoke with all 15 convicts and asked them to immediately prepare handwritten statements.

The other Avsecom soldiers are former Capt. Romeo Bautista, 2nd Lt. Jesus Castro and Sergeants Claro Lat, Arnulfo de Mesa, Rogelio Moreno, Mario Lazaga, Filomeno Miranda, Rolando de Guzman, Ernesto Mateo, Rodolfo Desolong, Cordova Estelo, Arnulfo Artates, Ruben Aquino and Felizardo Taran.

Acosta said the PAO is just waiting for the other witnesses before they file a motion to reopen the case before the proper court. The 15 soldiers were given new hope for release after the DOJ ordered the PAO to provide them with free legal assistance and their morale was lifted by the recent appointment of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

NBP chaplain Msgr. Roberto Olaguer said the convicted soldiers are hopeful about the reopening of their case, adding that "they are particularly happy about the interest of PAO in their case and the appointment of (Gonzalez) to the DOJ."

The soldiers’ appeal for release was denied by the Supreme Court for lack of merit.

In an interview with The STAR last year, when he was still House deputy speaker, Gonzalez said his "efforts had been wasted because we could have opened a can of worms." As Tanodbayan (now the Ombudsman) during the time of the murders, he had been removed from office shortly after the killings.

The soldiers believe they are victims of double jeopardy, since they were tried for the same crime by the Sandiganbayan and acquitted in 1985. They were later tried and convicted for the same offense.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) began preparations yesterday for the observation on Saturday of the 21st death anniversary of the senator, who was killed as he deplaned from a China Airlines (CAL) flight that brought him home from exile.The NAIA was named after Aquino to honor his memory and his statesmanship, as well as his courage in steadfastly opposing the Marcos regime. — With Sandy Araneta