Charges eyed vs other members of Dominguez group
January 27, 2011
MABALACAT — Police are planning to include other members of an alleged carjacking syndicate in the case of a slain car dealer following the discovery of a carjacker’s hideout in one of the villages here.
Police Chief Superintendent Rolly Mendoza said they will base the case on the testimonies of Alfredo Mendiola, who revealed that the apartment in Barangay Mabiga here where car dealer Venzon Evangelista was killed was used as a hideout by the Dominguez group.
Three luxury vehicles and a large volume of assorted car parts were also found at the apartment Monday.
Evangelista, whose charred remains were found last January 14, begged for his life: “Maawa na po kayo sa akin, may mga anak po ako (Please have mercy on me, I have kids),” said Mendiola.
But Mendoza admitted that Mendiola’s statement alone will not be enough to guarantee prosecution.
Based on a legal opinion, Mendoza said there should be a corroborating statement by at least two witnesses so that the pieces of evidence are “interlocking”.
Mendoza earlier said that a big-time carnapping syndicate might have been maintaining the suspected hideout.
Elements of the town police and the Provincial Mobile Group swooped down on a two-room apartment rented by one Jose Randolf Javier Enriquez, where car parts — including 15 engines, 35 tires with mags, a transmission, a car battery, a crocodile jack and others — were found.
Inside the compound of the apartment, a Hyundai Santa Fe Superior sports utility vehicle (NTI 548), a Honda VTEC City, and a Mitsubishi Montero sports utility vehicle were parked.
Mendoza said the raid was conducted by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Ismael P. Casabar (Regional Trial Court Branch 33, Guimba, Nueva Ecija) for violation of the Anti-Carnapping Act against Enriquez.
The town police was able to secure the search warrant after the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) certified that the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV parked inside Enriquez’s apartment compound was recently carjacked in Imus, Cavite.
The police, however, have not yet established any proof linking the incident to that of the recent carnap-slay case involving the Dominguez group.
Last January 16, three barangay leaders on night patrol in the area reportedly encountered armed men coming out of the said apartment.
The village officials reported the incident to the town police, who conducted surveillance to determine whether there were illegal activities going on inside the premises.
Neighbors said that over the past few months they have frequently seen several luxury vehicles with red plates and Department of Justice stickers come in and out of the compound, especially at night.
One resident told Sun.Star Pampanga that he often sees several SUVs parked outside the apartment compound.
Aside from the vehicles and car parts, the Scene of the Crime Operatives also recovered drivers’ licenses, car keys, credit cards and other valuables believed to be owned by the carnapping victims.
Police earlier reported that among those driver licenses recovered at the safehouse has Evangelista’s name.
But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile told police officials Wednesday that evidence in the case of Evangelista should stand up in court.
He said it was unusual that Evangelista’s partially-burned license was found in the safehouse of an alleged car-theft ring.
If the suspects burned Evangelista’s body to remove traces of the crime, he noted that the license should have been burned with the body.
“I’m cautioning them that a skillful lawyer can exploit the evidence. They better be sure they can explain everything,” he said.
Enrile told Philippine National Police Director General Raul Bacalzo that the case must be airtight, saying, “I’m warning you because of the propensity of local policemen to plant evidence. Maybe it’s the truth, but you have to go beyond this explanation to prove that this is a fact.”
Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, who was at the Senate hearing, said the Philippine National Police has been undergoing reforms to avoid planted evidence.
“Wala po akong nakikitang ganun. The warrant was served as it was issued,” he said.
Robredo said he has not seen the evidence yet, but said the PNP was handling the Evangelista case according to the rules.
Citing statements from witnesses, Bacalzo said the suspects removed Evangelista’s license to make his body difficult to identify.
The license was allegedly burned at the safe house but was not completely destroyed.
Mendoza said the vehicles, car accessories, and other materials recovered at the safehouse were turned over to the HPG.
He said Enriquez, who is still at large, will be charged with carnapping. (Reynaldo G. Navales/With Jonathan de Santos/Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/charges-eyed-vs-other-members-dominguez-group
For more information, to make a booking for a good wedding venue or assistance in securing hotel and resort booking,contact us
More and more, wedding couples prefer outdoor venues for wedding ceremony and wedding reception. A beautiful setting can really make a wedding reception more memorable for not only the bride and the groom but also for wedding guests attending the ceremony and the reception.
Frequently visited, best wedding venues outside Manila in Pampanga and Subic are listed here including a beach resort which is a semi-private establishment located in the central business district near shopping, business, entertainment, airport and other conveniences of Philippines Clark Freeport Zone.
www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com
Philippines Wedding Venues Service Center
Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
Central Business District, Clark Freeport Zone,
Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Tel: (045)599-5949 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
Email: Wedding@Yats-International.com
For more information about hotels and resorts near Manila in Subic, Angeles City, Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com.
To inquire with the beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com