Pasig court grants P500,000 bail for Roldan

A Pasig city trial court approved Tuesday a P500,000 bail bond for the temporary release of former actor and Quezon City Rep. Dennis Roldan who is facing kidnapping charges for the 2005 abduction of a three-year-old boy. Judge Agnes Reyes-Carpio of Pasig regional trial court branch 261 granted Roldan's motion for bail despite the testimonies of at least 10 prosecution witnesses who positively identified Roldan - Mitchell Gumabao in real life - as the mastermind of the abduction. “There is no clear proof that evidence of Mitchell Gumabao’s guilt is strong, hence, his application for bail is hereby granted," Carpio stated in her eight-page decision. She, however, denied the petition for bail filed by the five other accused - Octavio Garces, Romeo Orcajada, Adrian Domingo and couple Noel and Rowena San Andres. “It appearing that evidence of their guilt is strong, their respective bail applications should be, as they are hereby, denied," she added. Roldan, in a chance interview, admitted he was surprised with Carpio’s decision but said he would post bail as soon as possible. “I will make up for the lost time with my family," he told reporters. Hearings on the bail petitions of Roldan and his co-accused started a year ago. The prosecution presented 10 witnesses to prove the guilt of the six accused. Among those presented was Jenny Yu, the victim’s mother, who pointed to Roldan as the mastermind of the abduction. She presented a taped conversation allegedly between her and Roldan when the former congressman demanded ransom. The prosecution also presented Albert Pagdanganan, suspect-turned-state witness, who claimed Roldan offered him P15 million to abduct the victim. He added that the actor gave him P225,000 topay for the rental of a house used in the abduction. The defense panel presented two witnesses, including one who claimed the victim’s lawyer (Mario Ongkiko) tried to convince him to pin down the actor as the mastermind of the kidnapping. In her decision, Carpio said the testimonies of police officers and witnesses presented by the prosecution were “self-serving" and “left many things to be desired." She also said the taped conversation allegedly between Yu and Roldan was “inconclusive" because this was not verified by a voice expert. But she said her decision on the bail petitions should not be misconstrued as a prelude to her decision on the merits of the kidnapping case. Roldan and his five co-accused have been detained at the Pasig City jail since they were arrested on February 20, 2005, after the successful rescue of the kidnap victim in Cubao, Quezon City.-GMANews.TV