Court clears suspects in Laoag journalist’s killing

A Manila court has absolved a police officer and his cohort of charges for the killing of a radio commentator in Ilocos Norte, after cartographic sketches did not match their facial features. Judge Reynaldo Alhambra of the Manila Regional Trial Court branch 54 cleared SPO4 Apolonio Medrano and his co-accused Basilio Yadao for the murder of dzJC commentator Roger Mariano, who was shot dead in 2004. In his decision promulgated August 11, the judge noted that the cartographic sketches based on the accounts of a witness did not resemble the suspects. According to a release by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), the judge likewise ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were the men who killed Mariano. “[The witnesses’] narrations may have been embellished to the point that these are contrary to the natural and logical consequences of what they claimed to have been the events that transpired that night," the judge likewise said of the testimonies of witnesses. “In this case, the quantum of proof required to justify a conviction for a criminal offense was not satisfied by the prosecution. Thus, the Court has no option but to uphold the constitutional presumption of innocence in favor of the accused," the decision further read. Mariano was shot several times in the back and head along the national highway in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte on July 31, 2004. He was on his way home from a broadcast at dzJC Radyo Natin-Aksyon Radyo when he was gunned down by the assailants. According to CMFR, Mariano was looking into allegedly anomalous transactions involving a local electric cooperative before he was killed. His widow Alma Mariano earlier asked that the case be transferred to Manila in 2005, fearing that the witnesses could be influenced by the accused. The request was granted and the trial resumed in 2006, with the two suspects pleading not guilty during their arraignment. The CMFR said Mariano’s relatives were disappointed with the result of the trial. “We are very saddened by the decision and we felt that we were robbed of the justice we deserve. It’s frustrating for us and makes us question the integrity and credibility of our justice system," a family representative said as quoted by the CMFR. They are consulting their lawyer to determine their next course of action, the CMFR release further stated.—JMA/JV, GMANews.TV