Pestaño killed himself, says defense counsel

MANILA, Philippines - The defense counsel of Navy officers charged with the death of Navy Ensign Philip Pestaño in 1995 maintained yesterday that the late Navy officer killed himself out of depression caused by a love lost due to family interference.

Lawyer Ana Liza Cristal also took exception to a published report that his clients – Navy Commander Reynaldo Lopez, Lt. Commanders Luidegar Casis, Alfrederick Alba and Joselito Colico, Hospital Man 2 Welmenio Aquino and Machinery Repairman 2 Sandy Miranda – have been muddling the case, saying it was the other way around.

“If there’s somebody’s muddling this case for the past 15 years it’s them,” she said, referring to the immediate family members of the late junior navy officer.

Cristal pointed out that all official investigations into the case conducted by several investigating agencies concluded that Pestaño killed himself.

However, she pointed out that despite official findings that Pestaño’s death was a case of suicide by the Western Police District (WPD), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), his immediate family refused to accept this.

“They hired their own forensic experts and came out with their own findings and now they’re saying that my clients are muddling the case?” Cristal said.

She added that in his desire to blame the death of his son on his fellow Navy officers, Philip’s father Pepe even enlisted the services of a spirit questor to reverse the official findings of the police and the NBI.

Pestaño was found dead with a bullet wound to his head inside the state room of BRP Bacolod City while sailing from Sangley Point Naval Base in Cavite to the Navy headquarters in Roxas Blvd. in the morning of Sept. 27, 1995.

“Pestaño was a good son and because his parents didn’t approve of his relationship with Joanna Yasay, whom he promised to marry, he became depressed,” Cristal said.

She added that this depression was further aggravated when Yasay filed an administrative case against the late junior navy officer for reneging on his promise to marry her.

Cristal also pointed out that there were two Joannas in Philip’s life, the other being Joanna Doxi, whom his parents wanted him to marry.

She said the late Navy junior officer really intended to marry Yasay, who was his live-in partner for sometime.

“In fact, as a testament of Philip’s love to Yasay, he gave her his PMA bullring, which until now is still in her possession. Pestaño’s family cannot really accept the fact that they were the reason why Philip committed suicide,” she said.

Cristal said that when Yasay filed a complaint of Breach of Promise to Marry, they (Pestaño family) circulated in the newspaper that their son has no problem with his girlfriend as they are scheduled to wed in January 1996.

“They deceived the public that the girl he was going to marry is a different girl with the name of Joanna Doxi,” she said.