Factoran son, 2 pals, can’t leave country

The son of former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Fulgencio Factoran and two of his fraternity brothers were barred from leaving the country by a Quezon City court in connection with the killing of a fellow student of the University of the Philippines in a rumble inside UP campus last year.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Estrella Estrada of Branch 83 issued a hold departure order on Fulgencio "Bibit" Factoran III, Marcelino Rongo and Gil Taway IV, all facing homicide charges for the death of Den Daniel Reyes, a UP engineering student last Feb. 10, 2001.

"This court finds merit (to the motion for the issuance of a hold order by the prosecution) considering that the crime charge is a serious offense and therefore all precautions should be observed to ensure proper dispensation of justice," Estrada said in her three-page order.

The hold departure order will be recalled only after the resolution of the homicide charges against the accused, who are members of the Sigma Rho fraternity.

The three were released from jail after posting P40,000 bail bond each.

Estrada issued the hold order following the petition filed by the victim’s parents to prevent the accused from leaving the country to evade prosecution.

Witnesses Keven Camagay and Vincent Jimenez, fraternity brothers of Reyes at Alpha Phi Beta, positively identified the three accused as the persons who ganged up on the victim during a fraternity rumble last year.

The accused, however, denied the accusations and invoked self-defense, saying Reyes’ group allegedly attacked them first.

In the same order, Estrada also directed both parties to attend the arraignment of the accused on March 28. – Cecille Suerte Felipe