Jonathan Cabrera
KALIBO, Aklan – The Department of Justice directed the Aklan Provincial Prosecutor’s Office to file a murder case against Amador Raz and Jessie Ticar, suspects in the killing of RMN-dyKR’s commentator Roland Ureta.
In a resolution dated January 16, 2007 signed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, the DOJ reversed the resolution of the provincial prosecutor which previously dismissed the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police against the said suspects.
Ureta was gunned down around 9:45pm of January 3, 2001 by several armed men while he was on his way to Lezo town.
Three years later, a witness named Gerson Sonio came out alleging that he saw Raz driving a yellow motorcycle while his back rider, Ticar shot Ureta three times.Said respondents vehemently denied the accusations of Sonio asserting the he was lying because his father contradicted his statements stating that he was in Iloilo at that time when the incident happened.
After the preliminary investigation of the provincial prosecutor, the complaint was dismissed.But the family of Ureta and some media organizations filed a petition for review before the DOJ.
Gonzales resolved that Sonio positively identified the respondents as the persons responsible for the killing of Ureta.
“Weighed against the denials and alibis of respondents, said witness’ affirmative testimony is stronger than a negative one.”
As regards the lapse of more or less three years before the witness finally told the authorities about the killing, Gonzalez argued that this does not distract from the veracity of the charge.
“This assessment finds confirmation from the fact that we cannot set up, on a permanent basis, a standard form of human behavioral response when a person is confronted with a stranger, startling or frightful experience,” the DOJ ruling said.
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