Kuratong case to be revived

At least 10 new witnesses, most of them former operatives of the defunct Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, vowed to testify in the scheduled reopening of the Kuratong Baleleng massacre case against former national police chief, Director General Panfilo Lacson and his alleged cohorts in the alleged rubout case.

This was disclosed yesterday by members of the Reform the PNP Movement and Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya of the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa (RAM).

In an interview, a member of the group said they will present the witnesses once the case is refiled, which they plan to do by the end of this month. "We believe we have very credible witnesses. Our legal counsels have been conferring to revive (the case)," Berroya said.

Berroya said the new witnesses are mostly civilians and active policeman, who were then connected with the PACC.

Lacson, along with PNP and PACC officers Deputy Director General Jewel Canson, Chief Superintendent Francisco Zubia, Director Romeo Acop and Senior Superintendents Michael Ray Aquino and Cesar Mancao were accused in the murder of 11 members of the notorious Kuratong Baleleng Gang along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, in May 1995.

A Quezon City Court dismissed the case against them after key witnesses retracted their statements.

The retraction was largely attributed then by Camp Crame pundits as an open expression of fear of Lacson and his men. "It will be now up to the Supreme Court to determine if it is a case of double jeopardy," Berroya said.

Reports showed that Lacson and the others indicted in the case were not even arraigned in court.

Relatedly, one of the accused, a former top PACC man of Lacson, assailed Berroya for his attempts to revive the controversial case due to personal reasons.

A former PAOCTF official, he questioned the timing of reopening of the case. "Why only now? If they are saying that they have police officers to testify against us, why then did these officers not come out in the open way back then? We were on floating status wayback in 1995," the former PAOCTF officer said.

But Berroya, one of Lacson’s known enemies, said the revival of the case against the former PNP chief had nothing to do with the coming May elections.

"We have a legitimate case against them that is why we are reviving this. This has long been delayed. It’s time to give justice to the victims," Berroya said.