Second witness emerges in Revilla murder case

MANILA, Philippines -  A new witness in the Ram Revilla slay case told police investigators that the “siblings” of the young actor wanted him killed.

In his affidavit to the police, Loyd “Lim” Comeda said his friend “Katcho” approached him on Oct. 23 – five days before Revilla was killed – and showed him a picture of the actor.

“He asked me if I knew the one in the photo, I said I did not. He said the man was a relative of the Revillas and the ones who want him killed are his siblings, who live in the same house with him,” Comeda said.

Comeda said he took the photograph and said the job would be dangerous, to which Katcho replied, “Yes, it is, because he’s a Revilla.”

Comeda identified “Katcho” as Ruel Puzon, the police’s star witness, whose statement led to the arrest of three suspects – Revilla’s younger brother, Ramon Joseph; and alleged gunmen Michael Nartea (not Altea as earlier reported) and Roy Francis Tolisora.

Also included in the charge sheet are Revilla’s younger sister, Ma. Ramona Bautista, and three others who reportedly helped them plan and execute the crime – Glaiza Vista, Norwin de la Cruz, and a certain Bryan.

According to Comeda, De la Cruz approached him as early Oct. 9 and asked him if he could find him a gunman “to kill a person.” De la Cruz did not elaborate after he was told he does not know anyone.

On Oct. 21, Katcho invited him to have some snacks and told him that Norwin and Glaiza “are looking for gunmen” because “Kiko and Michael (referring to Tolisora and Nartea, respectively)” failed to kill their target. “It was then I asked why they were looking for a gunman. Katcho replied that Norwin and Glaiza said the target beat up his mother and was a bad person,” Comeda said.

Comeda’s statement corroborated an earlier affidavit issued by Puzon, where the latter stated that a sibling of Revilla is behind the murder. This also matched Puzon’s claim that the first attempt on Revilla’s life failed because Nartea and Tolisora ran away after hearing Revilla cock his gun.

In his statement, Puzon claimed that the first attempt on Revilla’s life happened on Oct. 12. He said he was awakened about 6 a.m. on that same day by his mother when a certain Vista and De la Cruz (no first names provided) arrived at their house in Poultry Compound, Parañaque City.

He said he saw Altea along with Vista, De la Cruz, and a certain Bryan. He said they asked him to join them in the silver Toyota Vios and sped off. “While we were aboard the said car, they told me their plan to kill a certain Ramgen and they asked me to join them,” Puzon said in his statement.

He said the group claimed that they went to Ramgen’s house in BF Parañaque in the wee hours of Oct. 12 to kill him.

“Michael said he and Kiko knocked on Ramgen’s door located on the second floor (when) they heard a gun being cocked so they ran out of the house and rode the car and subsequently went to my house,” Puzon said in Filipino.

Puzon said it was then that the group asked him if he could do the killing, which he turned down. He also said that Joseph accompanied Bryan when they gave P19,000 to Nartea.

“What I know is that he was the one who supplies information inside Ramgen’s house,” Puzon said, referring to Joseph.

About 3 p.m. on Oct. 17, Michael and Bryan brought Puzon to Revilla’s place on President’s Avenue in Phase 6-A, BF Homes. They did not go inside the house but went around its perimeter.

Bryan pointed to a black Nissan Montero parked in front of Revilla’s house and said “that was the car we used in our first failed attempt.” Puzon said Bryan also called up Joseph to ask for the plate number of Revilla’s car.

As for the alleged reason behind the plot to murder Revilla, Puzon said based on what he knew, “Michael and Kiko will be paid P200,000 and that they wanted Ramgen dead because he was bad, a rebel son and hurts his siblings.”

Rift between victim, siblings

Revilla’s personal assistant, Ronald Ancajas, said there is a rift between his boss and the Bautista siblings.

He said the fight started when Joseph sold his Nissan Strada at a low price because the teenager wanted a new car.

Revilla reported this to their father, former senator Ramon Revilla Sr. (real name Jose Acuña Bautista), who got angry. The patriarch told Revilla to control the budget from then on.

“Ramgen did not want to because his siblings might get angry at him, but that was what his dad wanted,” Ancajas said.

The aide said the rift worsened when Revilla bought groceries and padlocked them in a warehouse “so they won’t be consumed too soon.”

Weeks after that, Revilla’s family driver, Nilo Cawit, approached him and joked that his boss’ siblings are “planning to kill him.”