Dacer murder suspect granted reinvestigation

The third highest-ranking Philippine National Police (PNP) official among the 22 lawmen and civilians indicted for the Dacer-Corbito double murder case may yet be excluded after the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to look into his claim that he was erroneously included in the case.

Inspector Danilo Villanueva asked and was granted by the DOJ a reinvestigation of his alleged involvement in the case, saying the Villanueva implicated by state-witnesses in the Nov. 24 abduction-slay may have been one Senior Police Officer 3 Allan Villanueva.

Lawyers for the police official made the petition last Friday and pointed out that the statement made by one of the three conspirators turned state witnesses pointed to a certain SPO3 Villanueva. There were reportedly no mention in the statement of Danilo’s name or his rank.

Inspector Villanueva was among the 22 charged last May 12 by the DOJ in the Manila court including Superintendent Glen Dumlao, Chief Inspector Vicente Arnado, and Inspector Roberto Langcauon. Nine more policemen, all members of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force were charged.

The DOJ asked for 15 days to study the affidavits of the witnesses.

Bubby Dacer, a high-profile public relations executive, and his driver Emmanuel Corbito, were abducted by heavily armed men along Zobel street in Manila. They were later reportedly strangled and their corpses burned in Indang, Cavite.

The others charged in the twin killings were Senior Police Officer 4 Marino Soberano, SPO3 Mauro Torres, SPO3 Jose Escalante, Crisostomo Purificacion, Digo de Pedro, Renato Malabanan, Margarito Cuenco, and Rommel Rollan, who are in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group. Others who remain at large SPO4 Mario Sarmiento, SPO1 William Reed, SPO1 Ruperto Nemeno, and PO2 Thomas Sarmiento.