3 get life terms for kidnap in Valenzuela

Three persons, including a businesswoman, were sentenced to life terms by the Valenzuela regional trial court (RTC) for kidnapping and serious illegal detention of a salesman two years ago.

Two accomplices were also given the lighter penalty of 25 and 26 years in jail for robbery and carnapping.

Valenzuela RTC Judge Floro Alejo (Branch 172) also ordered the accused Ramil Lacanlale, 30, security guard, Victor Estacio, 30, house detective and businesswoman Marietta Cañares, 47, all of Tondo, Manila; and their cohorts Rogelio Malonzo, 38, farmer, of San Vicente, Gapan, Nueva Ecija and Mark, 19, co-accused Canares’ son, who was then a minor when the crime was committed on Dec. 17, 1999, to pay some P350,000 in damages.

In his 17-page decision, Alejo sustained the charges of complainant Enrico Nito, 36, a salesman of Yarn Plus Philippines.

Court records showed, at around 6:15 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1999, the victim was waylaid by the suspects while on board his blue Kawasaki motorcycle (MX 125) along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Malanday, Valenzuela City.

Nito told the court he was on his way home to Meycauayan, Bulacan when Lacanlale, who was tagged as the mastermind of the crime, flagged him down.

He said Lacanlale introduced himself as a policeman, showed him a police badge, which later turned out to be a fake, and quickly handcuffed him for an unknown violation of the law. As Nito resisted the bogus arrest, Estacio and Malonzo allegedly came to the aid of Lacanlale who then shoved him into a waiting Nissan Sentra.

While inside the car, with Cañares behind the wheel, her son, Mark, allegedly began divesting Nito of his valuables including the latter’s wallet, two cellphones and assorted jewelry.

The accused were, however, immediately arrested as witness Rolando Siena, 54, reported the abduction of the victim to the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime task force (PAOCTF). The accused pleaded not guilty when arraigned.

Meanwhile, a Camp Crame narcotics policeman was wounded after shooting it out with a neighbor-policeman over a confiscated illegal gambling machine owned by the former last Sunday in Caloocan City.

City police chief Superintendents Benjardi Mantele said victim P02 Pepito San Pedro, 29, married, assigned to the Narcotics Group at Camp Crame, Quezon City and residing at 345 Binangonan Street, Maypajo, Caloocan City was taken to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center due to a gunshot wound in the left foot.