Thursday, October 05, 2006 Murder, parricide raps filed v. 2 Tan brothers
AFTER eight months, the Iloilo City Prosecutor's Office finally resolved the controversial Tan-Zayco massacre case, which stemmed from the killing of the wealthy and prominent couple Francisco and Cindy Tan and their six-year-old daughter.
Iloilo City Chief Prosecutor Efraim Baldago recommended the filing of two counts of murder and one count of parricide against Jan Michael and Archie, both surnamed Tan, before the Regional Trial Court (RTC).
Jan Michael and Archie are the primary suspects in the killing of their father Francisco; step mother, Cindy Zayco and step sister Kathy.
In his October 2, 2006 resolution, Baldago cited the findings of Assistant City Prosecutor Jeremy Bionat, the prosecutor-in-charge in the case that had found merit on the evidences submitted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Western Visayas after it conducted a comprehensive investigation at the Tan mansion right after the gruesome incident took place midnight of January 8 this year.
City Assistant Prosecutors Honorio Aragona Jr. and Domingo Borda Jr., on the other hand, were tasked to handle the trial at the sala of acting Regional Trial Court Judge Narciso Aguilar.
Aguilar is from Kalibo, Aklan and was only temporarily detailed in Iloilo at RTC Branch 32 after two of Iloilo judges, Adrinao Savillo of RTC Branch 30 and Elena Opinion of RTC Branch 27, inhibited from handling the case.
Meanwhile, the warrants of arrest have already been issued against the two with no bail recommended.
The Iloilo City Police Office was tasked to serve the warrants but the two suspects, however, cannot be located until now.
The Tan-Zayco massacre was the first gruesome incident that rocked Western Visayas as the couple-victims were from the wealthy and influential families both in Iloilo City and Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental. (EASD/With reports from Sun.Star Iloilo)
(October 5, 2006 issue) Write letter to the editor. Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
