Bobby Nalzaro

October 19, 2004
NBI 7 should put its act together

I AM not very close to murdered lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco, but we knew each other. In fact, there were times when we had face-to-face encounters. One was when she attended the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) accreditation seminar last year where I was one of the lecturers.

She texted me every time I discussed updates on the Ecleo case in my radio program. She furnished me a copy of the Supreme Court administrative order barring Barili RTC Judge IldefonsoSuerte from handling cases effective March 4 this year, which I used in my expose against the judge. Suerte cited me for contempt of court but later withdrew it.

I admired Arbet’s courage and principles, especially her active role in protecting women's and human rights. She made the parricide case against Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association supreme master Ruben Ecleo Jr. a personal crusade, helping the Bacolods seek justice for free.

Like many people who loved Arbet, I am also for the immediate solution of her brutal killing. Arbet’s assailant and the mastermind have no place in this civilized society. But I am frustrated by the way the investigation on her murder is going. It seems investigating agencies are headed in different directions to grab credit.

Consider this. A task force was created, composed of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7, Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division and the country's premier investigation agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7.

The task force designated CIDG 7's Salvador Manga as spokesman. But in came NBI 7 Regional Director Reynaldo Esmeralda, who continued to issue statements to the media. Worse, while the police are pursuing a suspect identified with Ecleo's group, NBI 7 is set to file charges against another suspect.

Esmeralda said he was not bound by the agreement of the task force because it was informal. My gosh. ‘Yong usapan, sir, kahit walang pinipirmahan, usapan yan. Usapang lalaki.

Why file charges in a hurry? The public can understand if the filing of cases will take time as long as you are sure of the identity of Arbet's killer.

The police now have in their custody a boy who gave a detailed account of what he saw. Besides, why not wait for Felimon Yongco, Arbet's husband, to settle down and provide you with more information, like his description of the gunman?

So to NBI 7, don't be pressured by politicians, the media and the public to immediately solve this case. Explore every possible angle and don’t allow professional jealousy to get the better of you because it will not help in solving the case. Please, put your acts together.

(e-mail: bobby@sunstar.com.ph; text: 0919-3181404)