Sunday, June 24, 2007 Orolas using another ploy vs cop-suspects By Nicolas C. Delfin
COUNSEL for the four cop-suspects in Salabas case, lawyer Ernesto Treyes, Friday has indirectly accused the prosecution camp of Tom Orola for allegedly making another ploy against his clients.
Treyes is the counsel of the four accused former Bacolod City Police officers identified as Police Chief Inspectors Clarence Dongail, Jonathan Lorilla, PO2 Allen Winston Hulleza, and PO1 Bernardo Cimatu.
Treyes said they (Orolas camp) are making another desperate move by forcing July Flores to recant his statements in their favor as soon as he will be arrested by police authorities.
The Orolas, however, could not be reached for comments despite several phone calls made by Sun.Star Bacolod as of Friday night.
Also, earlier, former congressman John Orola already refused to give comments regarding the Salabas-Suganob-Lomoljo kidnap-slay case, adding that he had already rendered the case at the hands of their counsels.
Treyes's statements however came after a civilian asset of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Western Visayas, who happened to take Flores under his custody before the latter shortly managed to escape Wednesday night, said over dyEZ-Aksyon-Radyo that Flores told him that Dongail was the main gunman who shot former Pahanocoy village chieftain Eleuterio "Dodong" Salabas in a pumpboat last September 15, 2003.
He told me that Dongail was accompanied by Fortaleza who also boarded the pumpboat, which was operated by Flores off the coast of Ajuy town in Iloilo province, the civilian asset said.
The CIDG asset added that Flores was ready to be picked up by CIDG operatives in his house in Concepcion town, Iloilo province in order to issue his statement that night but he was taken and released by his nephew, PO2 Vicente Baylon Jr. of the Concepcion Police Station.
Flores, however, based on his statement-affidavit dated January 15, 2004, has claimed that he never transported Salabas and the two police officers to Ajuy.
He clarified that he and his co-pumpboat operator identified as Carlo De los Santos instead transported four relatives of Barangay 2 Councilor Elson Cañete from Lakawon, Cadiz Viejo to Ajuy, Iloilo.
Flores added that the wife of Salabas, Elizabeth Orola-Salabas, his father and an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had begged for him to become one of their witnesses against the police officers, but he refused.
"I was even threatened by Attornyey Janus Jarder, counsel for prosecution in the Orola-Salabas case that if I am not going to cooperate and testify in their favor I will be included as one of the John Does in the killing of Eleuterio Salabas," stressed Flores in his statement-affidavit.
Treyes, on the other hand, could not confirm the connection of the asset to the Orolas when asked by Sun.Star Bacolod Friday, but he said the asset is just spreading lies, which is expected to be used by the Orola camp.
"The case has been dismissed numerous times already and that most of their witnesses have already recanted in the favor of the innocent accused police officers for the sake of truth," Treyes said.
"What they are planning to do now is to get Flores and force him to issue statements against my clients despite the fact that there was no conspiracy that has really happened between the latter and my clients," he added.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) Director Melvin Mongcal has already placed PO2 Vicente Baylon Jr. under arrest for allegedly taking custody of Flores and facilitating for the latter's escape last Wednesday night.
"As of now we could not yet establish the grounds which we could used for the filing of a case against PO2 Baylon while waiting for the outcome of the investigation," Mongcal said.
CIDG-Western Visayas Regional Director Renato Gumban, however, said they are now readying administrative and criminal charges against Baylon for conduct unbecoming of a police officer, negligence of duty, harboring of a criminal and obstruction of justice.
Also, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Ronilo V. Quebrar is set to investigate the background of Baylon to determine his connections to any of the 20 suspects who are facing kidnapping and murder charges for the kidnapping and killing Salabas, Maximo Lomoljo, and Maritime instructor Ricardo Suganob last August 31, 2003.
