‘Laglag-Bala’ Suspects to DOJ: Evidence Against Us Weak, Dismiss Complaints
By: Brian Maglungsod, InterAksyon.com
January 18, 2016 6:55 PM
MANILA – The evidence to warrant the filing of the complaints against them is weak and should be dismissed. This was the gist of the counter-affidavits submitted Monday to the Department of Justice (DOJ) by five airport policemen and personnel charged for their involvement in the alleged “laglag-bala” scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
During the continuation of the preliminary investigation of the charges filed by American national Lane Michael White and his Filipina stepmother, Eloisa Zoleta, respondents Marvin Garcia and Ma. Elma Cegna of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) and Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-ASG) operatives Police Inspector Adriano Junio, SPO4 Ramon Bernardo, and SPO2 Romy Navarro, and Rolando Clarin submitted their counter-affidavits before Prosecution Attorney II Honey Rose Delgado where they denied the allegations.
They said they did not extort money from the complainants even as they added that the footages taken by the airport’s close circuit television cameras (CCTVs) did not show any extortion.
The CCTV footages were used by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as part of the evidence in filing the complaint before the DOJ.
The CCTV footages, they said, failed to establish the allegations of the complainants that the respondents planted a bullet in White’s luggage in order for them to be able to extort money from the foreign national.
Meanwhile, Delgado has set the next hearing on February 1.
Cegna and Garcia were charged with violation of Article V Section 38 (liability for planting evidence) under Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act while the PNP-Avsegroup personnel were charged for violation of Article 293 (robbery/extortion) of the Revised Penal Code, Republic Act 7438 (An Act Defining Certain Rights of Person Arrested, Detained or Under Custodial Investigation and Duties of the Arresting, Detaining and Investigating Officers), and Republic Act 3018 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).
In their complaint, White and Zoleta accused the said airport personnel of trying to extort P30,000 from them in exchange for his release and the dropping of the case against him filed before the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) after a 22. caliber bullet was found in his luggage when it went through the scanner at the NAIA Terminal 4 on their way to Palawan last September.
White managed to gain provisional liberty after the Pasay RTC allowed him to post bail and lowered the amount from P80,000 to P40,000.
The RTC later dismissed the case.