Witnesses said slain Leviste aide was violent

Former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste’s lawyers presented three witnesses before a Makati City regional trial court yesterday to prove that Rafael delas Alas, the executive assistant he allegedly killed in self-defense last Jan. 12, had an aggressive and violent side.

Businessman Randol Chaffee, a tenant at the LPL building in Makati where the alleged murder took place, said he met Delas Alas in 2004 and in 2005 when the man confronted him about an airconditioning unit and a signage.

The defense also presented Delas Alas’ driver, Salvador Capitin, who said the victim was carrying a bag that contained a gun when he entered the building minutes before Leviste shot him dead in his 9th-floor office.

Capitin also said Delas Alas was having an affair with “Emma,” a woman who was working in the same building.

The third witness, Levy Panganiban, told the court of Delas Alas’ violent tendencies and how the latter yelled at him and almost pulled a gun during a confrontation with him.

Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, however, dismissed the three witnesses’ testimonies as mere fabrications.

“During cross-examination, we were able to show inconsistencies and absurdities of the testimonies,” he told The STAR.

He said Capitin is facing obstruction of justice charges before the Department of Justice because he refused to present himself during the investigation of the case at the National Bureau of Investigation.

Velasco said Capitin admitted he has a grudge against Delas Alas, who did not treat him well. The prosecutor added that Panganiban said he is a distant relative of Leviste, but did not even tell the former governor, which is “contrary to human experience.”

“The witnesses did not prove anything. All they wanted to show was that Delas Alas was a violent man but during cross-examination, we showed the court their bias and inconsistencies. They testified on mere afterthoughts, if true they would have divulged (all they know) earlier,” Velasco said.

Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda, who is presiding over the murder trial, scheduled the next hearing on Nov. 21. Leviste’s lawyers are scheduled to present more witnesses in a bid to prove that Leviste killed his friend and aide in self-defense.