Slain P’sinan mayor’s sons tag rival in case

PANGASINAN, Philippines – The sons of slain Infanta town Mayor Ruperto Martinez made a surprise move last Monday as they filed a murder case against a lawyer before the provincial prosecutor’s office.

Lawyer Florante Miano told The STAR yesterday that he was surprised why he was implicated all of a sudden in Martinez’s killing over two months after the crime.

“But I take this as a blessing and opportunity for me to clear my name. I dare them to show their evidence,” said Miano, who is running for vice mayor in the May 13 elections.

He said he welcomes the suit although he has yet to receive a copy of it.

“They cannot remove from their minds my alleged involvement because I was the only one standing up against the mayor on several issues on mining and alleged corruption,” Miano said. 

He said he attended the rally organized by concerned citizens protesting the pier expansion project in Barangay Cato where nickel mined from nearby Zambales would be brought to Infanta town.

A few hours after the rally, Martinez was gunned down in his residential compound.

Miano is now pitted against Richard Martinez who substituted for his slain father.

Richard and his brother Marvin filed the case against Miano with four witnesses, namely barangay captain Charlito Maniago Sr., Dasol town Councilor Rizalde Bernal, Celestino Ginez, and Jerome Melanio. 

Part of the complaint-affidavit of Martinez’s sons stated that while Martinez was serving Infanta town well, he being on his third term as mayor, there were some detractors, especially on the port project, the issue of which, they alleged, was used against them by Miano.

“Although our father was not doing bad, Atty. Miano alleged the port construction is a source of corruption which is a big lie. Aside from this, Atty. Miano repeatedly threatened our father, not only through words but also through pamphlets he wrote which contained warnings (to our dad),” the complaint sheet alleged in Filipino.

But Miano said, “I don’t think they are serious (in their allegations) because right after the incident, they could have immediately reported what they knew to the police or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and volunteer their information.”

He said the Martinez brothers and their witnesses merely wanted to destroy his candidacy for vice mayor. 

Earlier this month, the NBI Manila filed murder charges against first district Rep. Jesus Celeste and Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr. as alleged masterminds in the Martinez killing, based on the testimony of a 16-year-old witness who supposedly overheard them hatch the slay plot.