Suspects want indictment reversed

CEBU, Philippines - Former officials of the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-7 want deputy chief prosecutor Jesus Rodrigo Tagaan to reverse his resolution indicting them for multiple murder and frustrated murder in the ambush of lawyer Noel Archival and his companions.

Through their lawyer, Senior Superintendent Romualdo Iglesia, Senior Inspector Joselito Lerion and Police Officer 1 Alex Bacani are also asking Tagaan to inhibit from resolving the complaints filed against them by the National Bureau of Investigation-7.

According to lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna, Lerion’s legal counsel, they have filed last week a motion for reconsideration seeking for the reversal of Tagaan’s resolution.

“I learned that Senior Superintendent Romualdo Iglesia, through his Manila lawyer, and PO1 Alex Bacani, through his lawyer, filed their respective motions and asked for Tagaan’s inhibition,” Dela Cerna said over the phone.

Iglesia, Lerion and Bacani, along with Chief Inspector Eduardo Mara and SPO4 Edwin Galan, were sued by the NBI-7, which said that the crime was committed in conspiracy among the respondents.

But the deputy chief prosecutor dropped Mara, being an impounding area chief, and Galan, being in-charge in the impounded vehicle,  from the charges for insufficiency of evidence that they had conspired in the killing of Archival and two companions.

The suspects were indicted for killing Archival, his driver Alejandro Jayme and bodyguard Candido Miñoza and wounding Paolo Cortes, his on-call assistant.

On Feb. 18, 2014, the victims were onboard a black Ford SUV traversing Barangay Coro, Dalaguete when they were ambushed around 1 p.m. Only Cortes survived the attack. — (FREEMAN)