The uncovering of the plot to kill Kabankalan Judge Henry Arles was boosted by the extra-judicial confessions of the three Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Bongcayao members who admitted having taken part in his assassination.

The three are Jessie Gedacan Daguia, 40, and Eddie Magno Fotunado, 23, both of Barangay Tampalon, Kabankalan City, and Alejandro Castillo Capunong, 28, of Barangay Tabu, Ilog who are now under NBI custody in Manila.

Their co-accused are Ilog Mayor John Paul Kho Alvarez, Emmanuel “Eman” Medez – an administrative aide 1 of the Ilog government and a resident of Kabankalan City, and RPA-ABB members Marvin Salve and Gerald Gallano Tabujara of Sitio Calumpang, Poblacion, Cauayan, who are at-large.

In interviews before they were taken to Manila by the NBI for protective custody, Daguia admitted to shooting the judge three times with a .45 caliber pistol while on board a motorcycle driven by Tabujara, who also fired a gun once.

HOW IT HAPPENS

Daguia said a tricycle with four persons on board drove in front of the car driven by the judge in Barangay Manalad, Ilog, at about 6:30 p.m. on April 24 to slow it down, and then Tabujara drove the motorcycle he was on, up to the driver’s side so he could shoot the judge.

The extensive investigation into the killing of the judge was conducted by the NBI with the close assistance of members of his family, many of whom are lawyers.

Based on the confession, the complaint filed before the DOJ and Fortunado disclosed that he learned of the assassination plan on March 2012 when Salve, whom he was with, met with Mayor Alvarez with whom he talked for a long time,

The complaint sates that a week before the April 24 killing, Salve accompanied by Tabujara, approached Daguia and told him of the assassination plan.

Capunong, Salve, Daguia, Tabujara and Fortunado met at the Ceres bus terminal in Kabankalan City on April 24 where Salve repeated that their target was the judge, it added.

SURVEILLANCE

The four of them, except for Salve, then went to the Kabankalan Regional Trial Court to conduct a surveillance on the judge. This resulted in having witnesses who provided their descriptions and enabled authorities to come up with their facial sketches.

At 6 p.m. of April 24 the judge was tailed by Tabujara who was driving a motorcycle with Daguia, who texted Salve of their whereabouts, on board.

Salve, Fortunado, Capunong and an unidentified woman on board a tricycle, then followed the car of the judge, too, which was going in the direction of Ilog, the complaint said.

On reaching Barangay Manalad, Salve instructed Capunong to overtake Arles’ car and block it to slow it down.

Then Tabujara and Daguia, on board a motorcycle, drove up to the side of the car. Daguia fired two consecutive shots and one finishing shot at the judge, while Tabujara filed a single shot, the complaint also stated.

When the slain judge was brought to the a hospital in Kabankalan City witnesses also saw Medez and Tabujara among the onlookers, it added.

The NBI, through testimonies of witnesses, established the identities of those who participated in the killing and later arrested Daguia and Capunong at a Bacolod bus terminal, carrying unlicensed firearms.

Capunong, on seeing the family of Judge Arles at the Bacolod NBI office, broke down in tears and begged for forgiveness for his participation in the killing. This prompted Daguia to also admit his participation and beg for forgiveness, the NBI complaint further stated.

CONFESSIONS

They then issued extra judicial confessions assisted by a lawyer.

Fortunado, alarmed that Daguia and Capunong were in the hands of the NBI and that some men were looking for him possibly to liquidate him and to prevent him from telling what he knows, decided to also seek refuge with the NBI, the complaint stated.

Assisted by a lawyer, Fortunado, told everything he knows about the killing and also executed an extra judicial confession, the complaint added.

The three said they were members of the RPA-ABB but maintained that the killing of the judge was not in any way related or sanctioned by the revolutionary movement.

PAY-OFF

It was purely for monetary consideration with Daguia having received P81,000 and Capunong P30,000, the NBI complaint said.

Fortunado said he received P75,000 from Medez for payment of his part in the killing of the judge, P39,000 of which he surrendered to the NBI.*CPG

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