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SAMAR, Philippines – The families of slain Calbayog Mayor Ronaldo Aquino and relatives of several others who died with him have appealed to the Marcos Jr. administration to ensure the speedy trial of nine ex-policemen linked to the murder two years ago.
Aquino was on his way to his son’s birthday celebration when his vehicle was ambushed at the Labuyao Bridge in the village of Lonoy, Calbayog City, on March 8, 2021.
The mayor died alongside his driver, Dennis Abayon, and his police security aide Master Sergeant Rodeo Sario. Another aide, Mansfield Labonite, was wounded, while Klint John Paul Yauder, a city hall employee, was killed by a stray bullet.
Lina Aquino, the mayor’s widow, said her family was pinning their hopes on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos in their quest for justice.
“We are sending our message to President Marcos and Secretary Abalos to help us get justice,” she said, complaining that the case was moving slowly.
Members of the Aquino family expressed frustration after Judge Maricar Lucero of Regional Trial Court, Branch 31, allowed the nine dismissed policemen accused of killing the mayor to bail out.
The accused were allowed to post bail for P120,000 each during the pendency of their trial.
The judge, however, inhibited herself from the Aquino murder case on March 9, following criticisms on social media of her order to grant bail.
“We are the victims here, and not the accused. It’s been two years. Where do we go to ask for help? All we want is fairness from the court,” said Master Sergeant Sario’s widow Ann Sario.
Yauder’s father Conrado said he and his family were losing their trust in the justice system, and Marcos was in the position to reverse that.
Conrado was driving another vehicle and was just passing by when the ambush was carried out. A stray bullet killed his son who was with him at that time.
The Aquino family’s lawyer, Alma Uy, expressed dismay over the court’s decision to allow the suspects in the murder case to post bail, despite what she described as “overwhelming evidence” against them.
“The four souls (members of the Aquino family) seemed to have died a second death,” said Uy in response to the ruling.
She said pieces of evidence gathered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and presented in court were ignored, which saw these to be weak.
She said witnesses, who risked their lives to testify against the accused, were also left feeling hopeless, as their testimony was seemingly not given much weight. – Rappler.com
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