Friday, June 20, 2008 Prosecution gets death threats; Econg to be secured by 2 cops
DAYS after Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Geraldine Faith Econg reported received a threatening message by phone, a member of the panel prosecuting the parricide case against Ruben Ecleo Jr. got one.
The lawyer asked not to be named so as not to worry his family but showed Sun.Star Cebu the message that was received at 8:35 in the morning from mobile phone number 09298072166.
It read: “Patay kang bata ka”, which translates to “You’re dead, kid.”
“I’m not at all fazed or threatened by this text message. I’m a fatalist. When it’s time for you to go, you go. Besides, I’m ready,” the lawyer said.
Police officials said Econg will have two policemen as her close-in security.
Both Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos and Supt. Crisaleo Tolentino of the Police Security Protection Office (PSPO), however, said they need the letter-request of Econg to be used as basis for assigning two police security personnel.
Confidence
“We will determine kung sino ang gusto niya (who she wants to be assigned to her). It’s a personal trust and confidence’s choice. She must be the one to choose,” he said.
Supt. Rex Derilo of CIDG7, in a separate interview, said once he receives Econg’s letter he will immediately forward this to Roderos’ office for approval.
Econg received the threat through a text message last Tuesday morning.
The text message read: “Judge condolence. Is’ng mo2r ka lang. – AKP.”
Meanwhile, the lawyer showed an item on his phone’s sent messages folder. It was his reply: “Ready na ko. I already have a memorial plan.
He said he called the phone number thrice but all he got was a recorded message that the phone was either turned off or “outside the coverage area.”
The lawyer is certain that the message was related to the Ecleo case, saying it is his “only sensational case.”
He added, only Ecleo’s men would have the audacity to make such threats, whether commanded to do so or otherwise.
“When Arbet (Sta. Ana-Yongco) was murdered in 2004, we took over the Ecleo case from her and, by December, I was already getting threats,” the lawyer said.
The threats, he revealed, involved motorcycle-riding men pacing up and down the road where his house is located.
Television
“They would stop near our gate, blow their horns and then speed away. We would be in our sala watching television. The sala is on the same level as the road,” he said.
He added that a white van kept on following him for a few weeks.
The lawyer believes that the threat is hollow.
He added that other members of the panel, which have two women in them, have received more menacing messages.
“I think only Fritz (Quiñanola) has not received any. Maybe because they know he doesn’t get scared easily or maybe they believe that because he is a retired police colonel, he can have people trace calls back to the sender,” the lawyer said.(KNR/JST)
