Antipolo court convicts 5 over kidnap-murder of businessman Jose Saribong

A court in Antipolo City has sentenced five individuals to decades of imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of businessman Jose Saribong in 2013, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a statement, the DOJ said the Antipolo Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 138 found Mark Banghulot, Romeo Baluran, Rudy Benega, Teody Maghuyop, and Adam Paulin guilty beyond reasonable doubt of kidnapping for ransom with homicide.

The RTC sentenced the five individuals to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years of imprisonment, without eligibility for parole.

"This conviction serves as a stern warning to criminal elements who believe they can outrun the law," the Justice Department said.

"The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its mandate to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no offender regardless of how long they remain at large or how complex their crimes, is beyond the reach of justice," it added.

Meanwhile, the RTC also ordered the five to jointly and severally pay the heirs of Saribong P100,000 as civil indemnity and P890,000 as actual damages.

The DOJ said the case stemmed from the abduction of Saribong at the gates of the Golden Meadows Subdivision in 2013 and the killing of his driver. It said his family was told to pay a P40 million ransom.

While the family was able to make a partial payment, the kidnappers pushed through with Saribong's murder on the eighth day of his detention. — VDV, GMA News