Ex-Batangas mayor, 3 others get life

A Manila judge over the weekend sentenced to life imprisonment a former mayor of a town in Batangas and his three companions for the murder of an alleged hit man, whom they hired to liquidate a trader over a land dispute 11 years ago.

Manila Judge Teresa Soriaso of Regional Trial Court Branch 27 found Joven de Grano, former mayor of Laurel, Batangas, his brother Amado de Grano, and bodyguards Domingo Landicho and Estanislao Lacaba guilty of conspiracy in murdering Emmanuel Mendoza.

Soriaso also directed the four to jointly pay the heirs of the victim P50,000 for moral damages. The judge also ordered the arrest of two other accused, Leonardo Genil and Leonides Landicho, who were also linked to the Mendoza murder, which took place at around 9 p.m. on April 21, 1991.

In convicting the four, Soriaso gave weight to the clear and straightforward testimony of prosecution witness Teresita Duran, Mendoza’s common-law wife.

Prior to the killing, Duran told the court the Landicho brothers, Genil and Lacaba arrived at their house in Barangay Balakikong, Laurel, Batangas to "visit" her husband. But before she could hear the purpose of the visit, Duran said the victim asked her to prepare coffee for the visitors.

From the kitchen, Duran claimed to have heard successive gunshots and when she peeped, she saw her husband bleeding on the floor, with the killers’ guns poked at the victim.

Duran said she also heard Joven instructing his henchmen to check if Mendoza was already dead.

The former mayor denied the charges. He maintained that Duran testified against him on instruction of another trader, whom he had a dispute over land ownership.

Court records showed that the victim could have earned the ire of the former mayor when Mendoza refused to kill a trader. – Cecille Suerte Felipe