Trial of 2008 Parañaque shootout to start in June

MANILA, Philippines -  A Paranaque regional trial court (RTC) has set on June 10 the start of the trial of 17 Special Action Force (SAF) police officers charged in the 2008 Parañaque shootout that left 16 people, including a seven-year-old girl and her father, dead.

The prosecution and defense panels are expected to present at least 60 witnesses during the trial to determine the guilt of the police officers for the deaths of Alfonso de Vera and his daughter, Lia Allana.

“I can finally see the light,” De Vera’s widow, Lilian, told The STAR. “The pain is still fresh. I always pray that someone will be sent to jail.”Alfonso and Lia Allana were homebound in their Isuzu Crosswind when responding policemen allegedly mistook their vehicle for the robbers they were pursuing in United Parañaque Subdivision 4 on Dec. 5, 2008.

The 17 SAF policemen pleaded not guilty before Judge Jaime Guray of Parañaque RTC Branch 260 and were released on bail last year.

They are Superintendent Jonathan Calixto; Chief Inspector Hermogenes Cabe; Senior Inspector Abraham Abayari; Inspectors Erikson Roranes and Ludovico Cordova; Police Officers 3 Hagar Torres, Jericho Otadoy, Guilbert Lopez, Felix Base, Eugene Papat-Ew and Policarpio Jose Jr.; and Police Officers 1 James Yodong, Allan Apil, Efren Angcuan, Lloyd Bulayugan, Nemesio Gano and Sherwin Maybanting.