Vice gov, Magdalo linked to Sanchez slay attempt

Batangas City — Batangas Vice Gov. Ricky Recto and the rightist Magdalo group were linked by two former renegade soldiers in affidavits to the June 1 failed assassination attempt on Gov. Armand Sanchez.

The explosion that ripped through Sanchez’s Hummer sports utility vehicle killed his driver, Luisito Icaro, and his police bodyguard, PO3 Eric Landicho.

In their affidavits, copies of which were obtained by The STAR, Army 1Lt. Patricio Bumidang Jr. and Navy 1Lt. Junior Grade Kiram Sadava alleged that Recto was present when the Magdalo group, which was behind the failed mutiny in Makati City in July 2003, hatched the bombing.

Recto, however, brushed aside the allegations.

"I was advised by my lawyers to avoid giving comments until the charges have been filed in court," he told The STAR in a mobile phone interview.

"If they have evidence against me, then file it. Actually, I have not seen any copy of it (affidavit) so I cannot make a comment yet," he added.

Bumidang Jr. and Sadava were both arrested in their safehouse at Filinvest in Quezon City, together with lawyer Jose Christopher Belmonte, civilians Betina Balderama and her son Mike Yangzon, 1Lts. Engelbert Gay, Nathaniel Rabonza, and Sonny Sarmiento, and 2Lt. Aldrin Baldonado.

Belmonte and Yangzon were charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly harboring fugitives, while the Department of Justice filed charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and direct assault against the six captured military officers.

Authorities said the arrests foiled a plot to attack the Batasan Pambansa on July 24 when President Arroyo was delivering her State of the Nation Address.

In his nine-page affidavit, Bumidang said he, Belmonte, Balderama, Yangzon and a certain Cristina Antonio met in a house at La Vista in Quezon City to discuss Oplan TET Offensive, which involved bombings in public places to destabilize the Arroyo administration.

Also present in the meeting were Baldonado and one Capt. Dante Langkit.

Bumidang alleged that he saw somebody, who looked like Sen. Ralph Recto, but who turned out to be Vice Gov. Recto, a political opponent of Sanchez.

"I asked Maya (Cristina Antonio) why Recto was included in the meeting," he said, to which Antonio replied, "He can be a possible source of funds."

Bumidang claimed that Recto even introduced himself to the group as the vice governor of Batangas and allegedly offered them refuge in Batangas if their plans went awry.

Read this part of Bumidang’s affidavit, Recto asked The STAR: "Did he mention anything that I instructed to bomb Gov. Sanchez? If not, that is nothing."

Bumidang further recalled that on the third week of May, he, Gay, Rabonza, and 1Lt. Sonny Sarmiento met to discuss about the C4 bomb.

"Lt. Gay asked us if a pound of it (C4 bomb) could destroy a (Hummer)," he recalled. " All of us said we don’t know, but we recommended Sadava since he was an officer in the Naval Special Operations Unit."

Gay, according to Bumidang, subsequently called up Sadava, who was on a recruitment mission in the Visayas and Mindanao. Upon his return, Gay said it was "very possible," he said.

Bumidang said Belmonte and Balderama were inquiring about the damage the C4 bomb could wreak on a Hummer, which Sanchez had.

He recalled that someone from their group asked why Sanchez was one of the targets.

"Gov. Sanchez is corrupt, a jueteng lord, he is the one who financed the Liberal Party faction headed by (Manila) Mayor Atienza and he contributed funds to GMA during the 2004 election," he quoted Balderama as saying.

"And besides, malaki rin yung pondo na makukuha natin pag natuloy yun (operation against Sanchez)," he further quoted Balderama as saying.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Sanchez’s legal adviser, insisted in earlier press statements that Recto had a hand in the slay attempt on Sanchez, which Recto had vehemently denied.

The Magdalo group, according to Bumidang, was responsible for the bombings at the Grepalife building in Makati, the PNP satellite station at Philcoa in Quezon City, the gate of Bong Pineda’s house in Pampanga, the police station in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, and the PNP van in Bicutan, Taguig City, and the attack on Sanchez.

The group considered their operations successful, except on Sanchez’s, Bumidang said.

For his part, Sadava, however, denied any knowledge of the slay attempt on Sanchez, saying Belmonte’s group was behind it.

"I was brought to Batangas by Belmonte to conduct a casing operation on the Batangas Capitol (grounds) and pattern the movement of Governor Sanchez for possible sniping or ambush, but it was never discussed that a bombing would be one of the options," Sadava said in his seven-page affidavit.

"That was the time when I remembered that someone from the group texted me and asked if one block of C4 was capable (of destroying) a Hummer vehicle while I was in Palawan," he said.

In a supplemental statement, Sadava, however, said that after the meeting, he overheard Balderama as saying that Recto had allegedly given an initial payment for Sanchez’s assassination and that the balance would be given after completion of the plan.

Read this part of Sadava’s affidavit, Recto said, "That is hearsay; he just overheard something from somebody else."