DOJ to Ivler: Answer assault, frustrated murder raps

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has given road rage murder suspect Jason Ivler until July 16 to submit his answer to charges of direct assault and two counts of frustrated murder against him for shooting two law enforcers who came to arrest him at his house in Quezon City on Jan. 18.

Ivler appeared in a hearing yesterday at the DOJ and State Prosecutor Primo Alonzo II ordered him to file a motion to re-open the preliminary investigation and submit his counter-affidavit on July 16.

Ivler – the main suspect in the killing of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., son of former Malacañang official Renato Ebarle Sr., during a traffic altercation on Nov. 18, 2009 – was escorted by officers of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

He failed to attend a hearing set by the DOJ panel two weeks ago and also failed to file his counter-affidavit.

Alonzo said should Ivler fail to comply with the order, the case of direct assault and two counts of frustrated murder filed against him and his mother, Marlene Aguilar, in connection with the shooting of two National Bureau of Investigation agents, would be submitted for resolution.

Ivler asked for more time to submit his defense, saying he only received the subpoena while he was in jail at 9:30 a.m. yesterday and was not able to talk to his lawyer. Alonzo granted his request.

In an interview, Alonzo said he could not understand how Ivler was not informed by his own lawyer about the subpoena for his appearance scheduled two weeks ago and the need to file his answer.

“But in the interest of justice, we are giving him until July 16 at 10 a.m. to file his motion,” he said.

Before the start of yesterday’s hearing, Ivler pleaded to be brought back to the hospital for another operation to reverse his colostomy.

“You can put me in jail for the rest of my life, you can put me inside a box but let me allowed be go back first to the hospital to be cured, put my intestines inside my body the way God made me. I am just asking to be normal like everybody else,” he said.

Ivler underwent surgery after being wounded in the Jan. 18 shootout. He was confined at a hospital for months until he was transferred to the Quezon City Jail.