Friday, October 06, 2006 Lawyer says his client cop is ‘fall guy’
BEFORE the police can even file a complaint against the suspects in the Sept. 9 killing of a moneylender and her secretary, a lawyer yesterday questioned the investigation and accused the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) of picking “fall guys.”
Danilo Yap, lawyer of Troy Maque Diago, a police asset, and SPO1 Mateo Yanson, showed up at the CCPO yesterday and spoke with Homicide Section Chief Erlando Metante and Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau Chief Pablo Labra II.
He registered their objections to the investigation made by the police on the twin murders of Pilar R. Hernandez and Wivina Pancho last Sept. 9.
“I wanted them to know that we are not happy with what they are doing. We have to let them know that we are alarmed by what they are doing. They are inventing stories. They are trying to pin down people whom witnesses did not identify,” Yap said.
Yap was referring to SPO1 Mateo Yanson, whom he said the homicide section considers as primary suspect.
Yap’s appearance yesterday baffled the police because they have yet to file the complaint that will officially announce the suspects.
Until yesterday, Acting Cebu City Police Director Melvin Gayotin, Labra and Metante declined to disclose the identities of the suspects.
Yap also furnished Metante and the media copies of the three-page “affidavit of recantation” signed by Diago.
Yap said Diago’s recantation narrated how he was “coerced and forced under threat, duress and intimidation to sign a prepared affidavit” implicating Yanson as the “person in possession and custody” of the 9mm Taurus pistol used in the killings of Hernandez, owner of PRH Lending Investors and Pancho.
The affidavit also narrated how he was reportedly arrested and handcuffed last Oct. 2 by Senior Insp. George Ylanan of the Vice Control Section and was brought to the homicide section to sign the “prepared affidavit of witness” against Yanson.
He said he was released at dawn the following day.
On Oct. 4, Diago was allegedly picked up again by Ylanan’s team and brought back to the Homicide Section where he was made to sign a second affidavit of witness, modifying the first one.
Apart from Yanson, the second affidavit implicated another policeman who is a relative of Yanson.
Yap said Yanson confided to him his willingness to resign if only to prove his innocence.
Ylanan said these are mere alibis.
Labra and Gayotin, when interviewed by reporters, said Diago was not forced to sign the affidavit.
“He made his confession in the presence of a lawyer,” Gayotin said.
Labra said the appearance of Yap and the latter’s “premature” disclosure of Yanson’s name is of great help to the police.
Gayotin and Labra said that although Diago’s affidavit of witness would have helped build the case, the police is not relying on this alone.
Labra and Gayotin said they have other evidence, such as results of the laboratory tests, to pin down the suspects.
Hernandez’s widower Jacob, who was at the Homicide Section yesterday, said he is “100 percent” convinced that Yanson did the killings.
For Jacob, strong evidence is the “dying declaration” of Pancho who was able to write down Yanson’s surname at the side of the table using her blood.
Jacob is “happy and satisfied” with the investigation. “They are really working.”
On Yap’s “premature” appearance representing his clients, Jacob said they “preempted” the move and it only means something. (JST)
