THE police filed multiple charges of murder and frustrated murder on Wednesday, September 14, against nine suspects tagged in the bombing incident last September 2.
Senior Superintendent Valeriano de Leon, Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) Roxas Night Market commander, who is also the deputy regional director for administration of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in Davao Region, accompanied by assistant commander and Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria, and other officials of the Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG), filed the charges around 5:20 p.m. before the Davao City Prosecutor's Office (CPO).
A total of 46 complaint affidavits, including seven complaint affidavits for murder, 31 complaint affidavits for frustrated murder, and eight complaint affidavits of witnesses were filed.
De Leon said they have Does, three Jane Does and one unidentified suspect.
De Leon, in a media interview, said that a taxi driver testified and identified the face of one of the nine bombing suspects based on the artist's sketch released last week.
The taxi driver's testimony helped them identify the primary suspect of the bombing incident that left 15 people dead and 69 others injured.
De Leon said the taxi driver testified the suspects boarded his cab and asked him to stop by the Roxas Night Market on the eve of the attack.
The taxi driver presented himself to be a witness to the investigation team.
Around 3 p.m., Wednesday, the witness who was accompanied by authorities sworn his affidavit of complaint to one of the prosecutors.
City Prosecutor Nestor Ledesma said he will not divulge the identity of the accused until the case will be resolved.
"Hindi po natin madi-divulge ng pangalan ng respondents as of the moment kasi baka naman they were only wrongly accused, so in the meantime, hindi natin pwede sabihin sa inyo kung ano ang pangalan at kung sino-sino pa yung mga respondents, (We will not divulge the names of the respondents because they may be wrongly accused so we could not say the names and whoever the respondents are)" Ledesma said.
He added that a special panel composed of three prosecutors was formed to focus on the prompt and expeditious resolution of these cases.
"Urgent itong kaso na ito, in fact we have given instructions to these prosecutors na talagang bigyan ng utmost priority ang kaso na ito," Ledesma said.
Ledesma said they will have an urgent meeting with the three prosecutors assigned with the case which is set today.
In the meeting, Ledesma said they will identify the complainants and the witnesses from the 46 affidavits of complaint filed.
He added he will not bare the names of the three prosecutors who are assigned to the case for confidentiality and to be freed from the unnecessary pressure.
These 46 complaint affidavits were furnished by the complainant/witnesses since Friday last week.
Around five witnesses were able to subscribe their affidavits Wednesday morning.