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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Radioman sued for Lintuan slay
By Rhodamae M. Hernandez
DAVAO CITY -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Southern Mindanao filed murder charges against a broadcaster earlier charged with illegal possession of firearms after a 15-year-old witness identified him as the man who gunned down broadcaster Ferdinand "Batman" Lintuan last December 24.
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The teenage witness, now under the protection of the NBI, was the only one of three witnesses who failed to identify one other suspect, army reservist Oliver Baldonado Antoc, in a police lineup just a few days after Lintuan's murder.
This time, however, the witness positively identified Lintuan's fellow dxGO block timer Leonilo Besabella Larosa in a lineup of five persons set up by NBI operatives.
The young witness said Larosa was the person who approached him between 7 to 9 a.m. of December 24 while he was tending to a sari-sari store located at corner R. Castillo Street and Duterte Drive.
He also claimed in his affidavit that Larosa, who was then wearing a blue long-sleeved sweat shirt, cargo pants, and striped black and white motorcycle helmet, was the one who pointed a gun at Lintuan while the broadcaster was driving toward R. Castillo in his car.
In another affidavit, Arlene Sapero Napala, the traffic/accounting staff of dxGO Aksyon Radyo Dabaw said that at around 9:01 p.m. of December 6, 2007, while Lintuan was onboard his radio program, a fuming Larosa called her up on her mobile phone and told her that Lintuan should stop attacking him on air.
She added that Larosa also told her that Lintuan has been attacking him for some time now, as a block timer in dxOW, dxRR, and then dxGO.
Larosa ended his rants, saying that if Lintuan will not stop then that will be the cause of his death. He then ended the call.
She said after that, she told their station manager Raul Antopuesto about the phone call.
Earlier Friday, the NBI-Southern Mindanao filed charges against Larosa and his nephew for possessing unlicensed handguns.
Larosa and Cristobal Larosa Matondo were arrested last Wednesday night. Larosa's house at No. 20, 3rd Avenue, Fortune Homes in Lanang, Davao City was searched and his vehicle, a Mitsubishi Pajero, seized by virtue of warrants 1290 and 1290-A
The NBI then sought an arrest warrant from the court after they confirmed that Larosa was in possession of unlicensed firearms.
The NBI tailed Larosa's vehicle between 6 to 7 p.m. from Sto. Niño Street in Liceralde Subdivision in Lanang. The agents, after following for a while, accosted the men in the vehicle, showing them the search warrants.
The search on the vehicle yielded one Colt Mark IV series 80, a caliber .38 super pistol; four magazines; 32 rounds of caliber .38 ammunition; one magazine pouch; one outside gun holster; and one black clutch bag.
Larosa failed to show documents for these firearms, thus his arrest. The NBI also conducted subsequent search on his house but found nothing.
Larosa's nephew Matondo was arrested after the NBI agents went back to Larosa's house at Sto. Niño Street in Liceralde Village and he tried to run away after the agents identified themselves.
The suspects are now detained at the NBI-Southern Mindanao office. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (January 26, 2008 issue)
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