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Saturday, December 20, 2003
Fake kidnap plan eyed Ecleo money
By Grecar A. Nilles & Minerva B. Gerodias
CEBU -- If Cedrick Quiñones Devinadera is to be believed, Ben "Boboy" Bacolod wanted to make money from his sister Alona Bacolod-Ecleo by faking her abduction and asking her husband to pay ransom.
Devinadera, 32, also said that Alona was killed between Mantalungon, Barili and Dumanjug, Cebu, and not in the house she shared with Ruben Ecleo Jr. in Banawa, Cebu City.
She was 27 and a mother of three.
Devinadera claimed that a known political figure in Surigao del Norte wanted Ben to have Alona kidnapped to raise P3 million from Ecleo, a former mayor of San Jose, Dinagat, Surigao del Norte.
In his five-page extra-judicial confession taken by PO1 Romeo M. Calamba, Devinadera narrated how Ben allegedly killed his own sister, after she did not give him the amount he wanted from her.
The Bacolod family does not believe the allegations against Ben, who died in June last year when he and three other members of the family were shot by a lone gunman.
The defense is also being cautious.
Defense lawyer Orlando Salatandre Jr. said it would be best for Devinadera's statement to be verified by an independent agency, like the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
"We really think that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is biased for the prosecution. We are sorry but we have apprehensions against the CIDG," Salatandre said.
Where's driver?
Salatandre also suggested that Devinadera be asked to describe the driver who was with him and Ben Bacolod on the night Alona died. That driver has remained unnamed so far.
For its part, the CIDG 7 will not make any move to bring Devinadera to Cebu because, "We are not interested in him."
"He is a witness of the defense kaya wala kaming pakialam sa kanya (we have nothing to do with him)," CIDG 7 Chief Edwin Diocos said Friday.
"If the defense will present him in court, we will definitely do something, but I will not tell you now," Diocos added.
Despite Devinadera's testimony that he saw Ben Bacolod strangle his own sister, Diocos still believes in the prosecution's case against Ecleo.
"His (Devinadera's) confession was scripted, based on testimonies of our witnesses. The only new thing there is that he excluded Ecleo," Diocos said.
He added that the fact that the court did not allow Ecleo to post bail means they have a strong case.
In General Santos, lawyer Luis Salazar also asked the NBI to take Devinadera into custody.
Custody
In a letter to NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco dated Dec. 19, Salazar said his request for an NBI investigation was "for the sake of truth and justice."
Devinadera has claimed that Ben Bacolod gave him P30,000 after the crime, so he could leave Cebu.
According to his confession, it all began one night in January 2002, when he, Ben and a driver picked up Alona from the couple's house in Banawa, Cebu City.
They proceeded to a store along D. Jakosalem St. in Cebu City, where Alona got a plastic bag with money.
When Alona handed the money to her brother, Ben allegedly got angry that the amount fell short of what he asked for. They argued.
"Kahibawo pa lang diay ka sa kantidad nga akong nabulilyaso ay, wa ra ni katunga ning imong kantidad nga gihatag. (This isn't even half of what I deserve.) Didn't you ask for money from your husband?" Devinadera quoted Ben as saying to Alona.
He said that Ben instructed the driver of the van they were riding to enter a small rough road in southern Cebu, where Ben allegedly started to get rough with his sister.
Left Cebu
At one point, Alona pushed Ben and rushed out of the van.
"As he caught his sister, Boboy mauled her as she kept on shouting until she fell down on the ground. Boboy went on top of her and kept on punching different parts of her body, including her face. And then, Boboy strangled his sister with his hands," Devinadera said in his sworn statement.
Afterwards, they returned to Junquera St. in Cebu City for a black garbage bag and masking tape.
"Boboy told me to lift up the cadaver... Once the cadaver was inside the plastic garbage bag, he let me hold and close the said bag and he taped it all over," Devinadera said.
Ben allegedly gave him a cellular phone and P30,000, so he would keep quiet.
Devinadera said he immediately left Cebu City because Ben threatened to kill him if they ever met again.
He said he went into hiding in Bantayan, Or-moc City, Liloan, Tacloban City, Maasin, Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Butuan and other places.
Ben allegedly told him that if he squealed, he would be killed.
But now it's Ben who is unable to defend himself from Devinadera's accusations.With Edwin G. Espejo of Sun.Star General Santos
(December 20, 2003 issue)
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