Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Dad fears whitewash in Bakbak shooting
DAVAO City Councilor Karlo S. Bello expressed fears that justice may not be given to the victims of the shooting incident in Torres St., Davao City on Friday evening.
This after Bello was informed that the suspect is said to be from a prominent clan in the city.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Davao City had placed a Villa Abrille scion linked to the incident on watch list pending the issuance of a hold departure order.
Bello, chair of the City Council committee on civil, political and human rights, raged against scions of elite clans suspected to have committed crimes with impunity.
"We have seen the sons of powerful elite scoffed at justice itself," Bello said.
He cited a recent incident of a scion of a powerful clan escaping conviction of crime when the family of the victim manifested no interest in pursuing the case.
"Where is the justice in that -- when a court dismisses a case for non-interest of a family to pursue the case? Children of well-known families who were intoxicated and then ravaged a young woman and justice for the latter seems farfetched," Bello said.
The young councilor, who himself comes from Davao's prominent family -- the Santoses -- said he hopes the city mayor will exert his ability to keep the powerful at bay and bring those responsible to justice.
"This especially that the victims are non-residents of Davao City who were killed senselessly," Bello said.
"We cannot end up like other local government units where the powerful rules and are above the law," he added.
In a related development, immigration officer Maria Kiamco said that although no hold departure order has been issued against suspect Ken Alder Villa Abrille Lelis, he has already been placed on the watch list at the Davao International Airport.
Kiamco said BI is not in the position to issue a hold departure order without a court order.
"The airport officials will inform the police should he (Lelis) be leaving through the airport," Kiamco said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.
She added that there is nothing much that can be done.
"We cannot stop him from leaving without the hold departure order," Kiamco said.
The police now consider Lelis as the primary suspect in a shooting incident Friday night at Bakbak Restaurant on F. Torres St., which resulted in the death of cousins Rommel Siglos, 22, of Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, and Rey John Tolentino, 23, of Cotabato City.
In a text message, Chief Inspector Alden Delvo of San Pedro police said they are set to press charges against Lelis anytime Wednesday.
As of this writing, Delvo said Lelis has yet to be presented to authorities or has contacted the authorities.
Lelis was linked to the shooting incident after the suspected getaway vehicle was recovered by authorities at Riverside on Magallanes street in Davao City on Saturday afternoon. The abandoned car was identified by witnesses as the same vehicle used by the "triggerman."
Delvo said a witness positively identified Ken Alden Lelis as the triggerman.
The school identification card of Lelis was found in the abandoned vehicle, a white Toyota Corolla Sedan with plate number LCE 747.
Based on the registration of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the vehicle is owned by a certain Andrew Villa Abrille Lelis of Magallanes St, Davao City.
Reports also the car was registered to the late Luis Villa-Abrille of Magallanes street who assigned the car to his daughter Yolanda, who is married to Lelis. The suspect, reports said, is Yolanda's son.
The group of the victims was reported to have had an altercation with the group of Lelis before the shooting incident. (CPM/GLP)
