DILG wants Ivler jailed in Bicutan

MANILA, Philippines - If officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) have their way, road rage suspect Jason Ivler would be detained in the Metro Manila District Jail, which is designed for high-risk prisoners.

DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus said he will meet with the officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to discuss the issue.

“We have the Metro Manila District Jail in Bicutan, which is designed to accommodate high-risk detainees, but we have to abide by the order of the court,” he said.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Alexander Balut granted a petition by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to have Ivler transferred to the Quezon City Jail once he gets a clean bill of health from the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC).

Ivler, the prime suspect in the killing of Renato Ebarle Jr., a son of a Malacañang official, is recovering at the QMMC for wounds he suffered when he shot it out with NBI agents.

During his visit at the Quezon City Jail, Corpus inspected a cell allotted to Ivler at the “international detention cells” where at least 20 foreigners are locked up.

QMMC head of surgery Dr. Fernando Lopez said Ivler could be discharged, barring any more complications, by Feb. 5 at the latest.

Suspect’s ma attacks victim’s dad

Ivler’s mother, Marlene Aguilar, accused Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr. of going to the Department of Foreign Affairs to “pressure” officials to deport her husband, Stephen Pollard, a British economist working for the Asian Development Bank.

Aguilar cited a government official as the source of her latest allegation, but refused to name names.

Pollard, who appeared at the NBI headquarters yesterday to comply with a summons, refused to comment on the allegation, but said he does not want to leave the country he has considered his home.

Aguilar, who accompanied her husband, said his work contract is protected by an international agreement.

“If this international agreement is violated by the selfish, abusive and personal interest of one government official under the Arroyo administration, this threatens our international relationships and puts the integrity of our country and the entire Filipino people in shame,” she said.

‘Absurd’

Malacañang dismissed Aguilar’s allegation, saying it was understandable for her to do or say anything to save her son.

“Let’s not also forget the plight of the parents of Renato Victor Ebarle. The son of Mrs. Aguilar is still alive but the son of Undersecretary Ebarle Sr. is already dead,” Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said.

He described Aguilar’s statements that President Arroyo was behind the alleged pressure to deport Pollard as “farfetched” and “absurd.”

Ebarle could not be reached for comment.

Aguilar and Pollard appeared at the NBI headquarters yesterday to refute allegations that the diplomat coddled his stepson.

This was the second time Pollard showed up at the NBI in connection with Ivler’s case. Last Nov. 27, Pollard also went to the NBI and denied knowing the whereabouts of Ivler, Marlene’s son from her first marriage.

When Pollard was asked if his stepson’s case has taken its toll on his job, he replied: “I look forward again to getting back to work.”

Bureau of Immigration spokesman Floro Balato Jr. said yesterday there is no complainant seeking Pollard’s deportation, but he “remains on our alert list. We only monitor his movements… there is no hold departure order against him.”

Aguilar herself was charged Wednesday as Ivler’s accomplice for the complex crime of direct assault with illegal possession of firearms and frustrated and attempted murder as a result of the Jan. 18 shootout when Ivler was arrested at Pollard’s house. Two NBI agents were wounded.

Aguilar was also slapped with obstruction of justice but was temporarily released on a P12,000 bail.

When asked why she did not convince her son to surrender to authorities, Aguilar described her son as a “soldier and a ground man.”

“Nobody can tell him what to do. Can you imagine what is it like to be in Iraq, the most dangerous ground, and the boy (Jason) fulfilled over 15 missions?” Aguilar said.

She said Ivler could be suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of his tour of duty in Iraq. – With Reinir Padua, Evelyn Macairan, Paolo Romero