DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — It is now back to square one.
Twelve days after the charge for murder was filed before the Dumaguete City Prosecutor’s Office against the suspects in the murder of broadcaster Edmund Sestoso, his wife Lourdes has withdrawn the case.
The murder complaint (NPS Docket No. VII-II-INV-18E-00254, Lourdes Sestoso vs. Rene Bustamante @ Pediong and Jade Hervias Jury @ Merecido et.al.) was withdrawn before it can be raffled off to an assistant city prosecutor.
Accompanied by lawyer Alfredo Hermosa III, Lourdes said she withdrew the criminal complaint because of the need to strengthen the case by gathering additional evidences.
Lourdes assured however the prosecution that, in the event additional evidences will be secured, she will re-file the case with the proper government agencies.
Days before the withdrawal, one of the three witnesses submitted before the city prosecutor’s office a letter of desistance. Coach Glen Serion told the media he fears for his family of possible reprisal and that he is not fully convinced that the principal suspect by inducement is a member of the New People’s Army.
The NPA earlier denied responsibility to the killing of Sestoso, and instead even urged the police to go deeper in its investigation.
Hermosa said the slain broadcaster’s wife had asked for assistance on how to go about withdrawing the case because of what she believed as insufficiency of the evidences presented.
He however could not tell whether the withdrawal was a sign of protest against the results of the investigation that point to a member of the NPA as the mastermind.
It will be recalled that the police filed the murder complaint before the City Prosecutor’s Office on May 25, or 25 days after Sestoso was gunned down on April 30 by unknown assailants along Aldecoa Road at Barangay Daro.
Police investigations showed that Sestoso was killed by two suspects, they identified as a certain Ka Mokong and a certain Ka Sherwin, residents of Barangay Baguid in Guihulngan City and believed to be relatives of Bustamante.
This was based on testimonies of a witness who claimed he has personal knowledge about the plan of the two to kill Sestoso.
It was not determined though if it was a coincidence or not, because on the day Sestoso was killed, the witness in his sworn affidavit said he was on board an automobile and noticed the riding-in-tandem suspects from behind his car minutes before the incident.