Wednesday, October 04, 2006 Judge finds cause to charge Tan brothers By Jay Dooma Balnig
THE Iloilo City Prosecutors Office has finally resolved the Tan massacre case after finding evidence and probable cause against Archie and Jan Michael Tan for the death of their father, stepmother, and half sister last year.
Iloilo City Chief Prosecutor Efraim Baldago officially filed double murder and parricide charges against the two before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Iloilo last October 2, 2006.
Two judges -- Judge Adrinao Savillo of RTC Branch 30 and Elena Opinion of RTC Branch 27 -- inhibited from handling the case.
The case landed on the sala of Judge Narciso Aguilar of Kalibo, Aklan as acting judge of RTC Branch 32.
City Prosecutors Honorio Aragona Jr. and Domingo Borda Jr. were tasked to handle the said case during trial proper at RTC 32.
A warrant of arrest has been issued against the two. The City Prosecutor recommended no bail.
Assistant City Prosecutor Jeremy Bionat, the prosecutor-in-charge found merit on the evidence submitted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Western Visayas after their investigation conducted at the Tan mansion last January 8, 2006.
Victims Francisco "Bobby" Tan, his wife Cindy Zayco-Tan, and daughter Kathy were found dead with several stab wounds on their body.
Despite the presence of around 16 people inside the mansion, no eyewitnesses could attest on how the incident happened.
The other children of Tan and Zayco are now with the latter's kin in Negros Occidental.
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