De Leon’s driver no-show at probe of nurse’s killing

The driver-bodyguard of businesswoman Marybeth de Leon, who is suspected to have shot dead her husband’s private nurse, failed to appear Friday in the Las Piñas City Prosecutor’s Office despite a subpoena issued to him last week.

State prosecutor Mario Mangrobang, tasked to handle the preliminary investigation of the killing of Belma Abella, said he ordered Wensis Tablang to appear in his office for some "clarificatory" questions on the sworn statement the latter submitted to the police.

Mangrobang said he will again subpoena Tablang, 31, adding that the case could be filed with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) even with the latter’s non-appearance.

Abella’s family has expressed fears that Tablang may have gone missing or is in hiding because of probable threats to his life or "he may have been asked to make himself scarce."

Documents showed that the subpoena was mailed to Tablang’s residences in Camarin, Caloocan and Cubao, Quezon City.

Tablang is the primary witness to the shooting of Abella, a private nurse of De Leon’s husband, Jose Vicente Madrigal De Leon, on the morning of April 12 inside the suspect’s BMW sedan (XBH 616) at the corner of Tropical Avenue and Elizalde Street, BF International Village, Talon, Las Piñas.

In his sworn statement, Tablang said his boss drove off with the car while he rushed Abella, 46, who was bleeding from a gunshot wound in the chest, to a hospital where she expired.

Meanwhile, Abella’s 21-year-old son Jansen submitted Friday afternoon to Mangrobang his reply to De Leon’s counter-affidavit denying the murder charge filed against her. — Nikko Dizon