DOJ visits Ramos crime scene

The Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted an ocular inspection of the house owned by slain Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Alicia Ramos in Makati City yesterday morning in search of more evidence against those who murdered the ranking government official.

State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco led the team of investigators in visiting the scene of the crime hoping to see a clearer picture of what really happened when Ramos, 64, was killed inside her house at 5552 Boyle street, Barangay Palanan.

The DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation also staged a re-enactment of the attack on Ramos.

However, he refused to discuss what their ocular inspection of the place revealed since their probe of the Ramos slay is yet to be finished.

"No comment muna for now," he said, noting that the inspection went well and will definitely help them in further reviewing new information gathered because of the recent turn of events.

Velasco moved for the deferment of the arraignment of Ramos’ murder and was reset to June 21, 2005.

Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 147 Judge Maria Cristina Cornejo granted the request to give the DOJ time to re-evaluate the information they submitted before the court when they filed the charges against the suspected killers.

Velasco said the DOJ is not yet done with the preliminary investigation of the case since some material facts uncovered were not yet available at the time that the charges were filed.

Velasco said the investigation is still digging into the Ester Bailey angle and the possible participation of "other" suspects in the slay. Bailey, the sister of the slain official, has been tagged by several suspects as the mastermind.

She, however, has been declared mentally fit to stand trial in court.

Velasco said the DOJ might just add or drop some respondents after the preliminary investigation is completed.

Among those charged for the Ramos slay were Roberto Lumagui, the alleged gang leader who confessed his participation in the killing; Joel Ablay; Michael Cenil; and Jun Maricar who remains at large.