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3 PNP-Manila officers charged with murder for HRM stude’s death

December 28, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

Murder charges were filed at the Cagayan de Oro City Prosecutors Office yesterday against three members of the Philippine National Police (PNP-Headquarters) who were suspected to be responsible for the death of a 22-year student last Monday late afternoon at Middleton Apartelle, Lerio St. , Carmen this city.

City Fiscal Fidel Macauyag told Gold Star Daily that “it is very likely” that American citizen Luis Juan Diaz might also be implicated in the same charges and that he has already ordered the police not to release the latter just yet.

“The American national was caught with the three police officers in the getaway vehicle. Thus, the presumption is that he is involved in the criminal incident,” he said.

The three PNP officers include SPO2 Ronnie Geronimo Tesoro, SPO1 Emeliano Geronimo Ramos, Jr. and PO3 Francisco Castro.

They were confirmed as police officers assigned at Camp Crame , Quezon City but were here in the city acting as bodyguards for Diaz who was here in the city to buy some gold bars.

However, last Monday around 2:00 p.m. at Middleton Apartelle this city, two unidentified persons met with Diaz and his bodyguards supposedly to sell them gold bars. For some reason, a shootout ensued killing Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) student Phoebe Ramal.

An inquest proceeding headed by his assistant fiscal Antonio Guiling was immediately held for this murder case now docketed under IS No. 2008-L4290.

The inquest was still ongoing as of press time yesterday.

Macauyag explained that they have to conduct an inquest as the three police officers together with the American citizen are still being placed under detention at the PNP-Maharlika Headquarters and that they do not want to be charged with arbitrary detention.

Still, the city fiscal disclosed that the murder case filed against the three PNP officers is weak and that they would be forced to file it as a plain case of Homicide.

Macauyag said he has reviewed the evidence and the testimonies of the witnesses and that he has found no circumstance that would qualify the death of Ramal as murder.

“So far, there is no treachery or evident premeditation so we might file a case of homicide which is bailable at a maximum of P40,000 per accused,” he said.

Macauyag said he has received reports that the death of Ramal was a result of a robbery shootout between two unidentified suspects and that of the three officers and Diaz.

He nevertheless explained that they have not received any evidence pointing out that there was robbery involved in the case.

Also, he said there was no proof that there was indeed an exchange of bullets that occurred between the two unidentified suspects and the three police officers of which Ramal was caught in the crossfires.

“There is nothing here that says that the suspects fired back at the police officers,” he said. There were 12 empty shells recovered at the scene of the crime.

Macauyag said, if indeed there was robbery involved in the case, then Diaz should execute an affidavit and be the complainant of a case for Robbery with Homicide.

This way, he said they might not include Diaz in the charges for Homicide as the latter becomes the victim of the r

Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro 

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