Court sets arraignment of suspects in case of slain UPLB student

The Court has finally set a date for the arraignment of the suspects in the case of Given Grace Cebanico, the 19-year-old University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños student who was brutally killed last year.

 

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, the victim's mother Marlene said she received a letter from the regional trial court of Calamba informing her that the scheduled arraignment for suspects bank security guard Lester Ivan Rivera and tricycle driver Percival de Guzman has been set on May 23 at 8:30 a.m.

 

In October 2011, the body of Given Grace was found near the UPLB area. She was found handcuffed and gagged, with a gunshot wound to the head and bruises to the body. Police said there were indications she may have been sexually assaulted.

 

Until now, however, the court has yet to conduct an arraignment because it ordered a reinvestigation of the case.

 

Last February, Marlene said the prosecutors asked the court to elevate the charges from robbery with homicide and theft. She said the court later on issued a resolution saying the case against the suspects is now three counts of rape and theft.

 

With this development and the scheduled arraignment, Marlene hopes justice will finally be served.

 

"Very optimistic naman kami, I believe na magtutuloy-tuloy naman ito. Obvious naman talaga na ginawa nila dahil yung witness namin di naman ngababago statement," she said.

 

Marlene added that the suspects had already admitted before the media committing the crime and that her daughter's belongings were clearly found in their possession.  

 

Cebanico was laid to rest in her hometown of Binangonan in Rizal last October. 

 

Her case was reminiscent of the Sarmenta-Gomez case, a rape-slay case, also in Los Baños, that reached national headlines in the early 90s. The victims — Eileen Sarmenta, who was raped and murdered, and Allan Gomez, murdered — were also UPLB students.

Six people were found guilty of the crime, including then-Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News