Row over corpus delicti in Guihulngan

Many Bacolod residents had their ears glued to radio sets as they listened to the opening phase of the preliminary investigation by the Municipal Trial Court of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, of the kidnap-murder case of former Pahanocoy Barangay Captain Eleuterio Salabas.

They found themselves jolted. The issue that cropped up was a definitive identification of the remains recovered in Ajuy, Iloilo, as that of Salabas.

What came out were reported lapses by a medico-legal officer of the National Bureau of Investigation in his autopsy of the decomposing body dug up in the Iloilo town from a shallow grave last September.

Lawyers Ernesto Treyes and Jam Angudong are the lawyers of Senior Police Inspector Clarence Dongail and businessman Manolo Escalante, respectively.

Dongail was charged by the National Bureau of Investigation with the murder of Salabas and his two companions in August. He was placed under arrest.

Escalante, on the other hand, was pinpointed by Elizabeth Salabas, widow of the slain barangay captain, as the alleged mastermind of the murder.

Renecio Espiritu, lawyer of Ms. Salabas considered the suspicions aired by Treyes and Angudong as baseless.

The case has triggered widespread interest among Bacolod folks. Salabas was not only a former barangay captain, he was also the brother-in-law of former Rep. John Orola of Bacolod City’s lone district.

Treyes pointed to several failures by Dr. Ricardo Botin of the NBI to take the fingerprints of the alleged Salabas corpse, conflicting reports on complexion of the victim, inconsistencies as to the underwear of the victim when his decomposing body was recovered.

The Dongail lawyer also raised questions about the decision by the Salabas-Orola family in having the remains cremated in Manila before it was brought back to Bacolod.

Dongail and 15 John Does were charged with the kidnap-murder of Salabas and his two companions who were picked up by car-riding armed men following a traffic altercation near the Casino Filipino last August.

Salabas said she sought the permission of the NBI to have the foul-smelling remains cremated as it was useless to bring it to Bacolod.

Former Congressman Orola joined in and claimed that the Salabas remains had been positively identified by Michael and Niño Salabas, her sons, and also by his (Orola’s) brother, Tom, engineer Rubanoa and Crispulo Chiu.

The NBI record, however, showed that it was only Michael who identified Salabas, Treyes countered.

Botin immediately chimed it that he dispensed with the fingerprinting since the remains had been identified by the Salabas family members.

But he denied having approved the Salabas family plan to have the body cremated immediately not having been notified about it.

Judge Hector Barillo and the defense lawyers subjected Ms. Salabas to a three-hour questioning on the issue.

Angudong adverted to inconsistencies and raised the possibility that Eleuterio may still be alive.

Treyes added that he had serious doubts about the identification due to the fact that the dentures of the corpse were upper ones, but Elizabeth claimed that the former barangay official had false teeth on the side.

There were also questions about the cadaver’s height. That found in Ajuy was only 5’5", while Salabas was reportedly 5’7". But Mrs. Salabas countered that it could have shrunk in the water off Ajuy from where it was retrieved by a fisherman.

There was also the puzzling testimony by Dr. Botin that the brain tissues of Eleuterio were nowhere to be found. In short, his skull was empty.

Botin admitted during his two-hour grilling by the defense lawyers that they did not comply with the standard operating procedure of having the body fingerprinted because of its prior positive identification by members of the Salabas family.

Then, there was also the issue of the underwear. It was found out that Eleuterio was found wearing the Carter brand, while Botin noted that it was "Puritan."

Treyes has several pending motions with the municipal court. These include an urgent motion to quash the warrant of arrest of Dongail for the kidnap-murder of Salabas and Maximo Momoljo and Ricardo Suganob, the former barangay official’s companions.

Treyes also asked that the court issue an arrest warrant against principal witness Luisito Gersaniba who had claimed that he was an actual participant in the abduction.

Lomojlo’s and Suganob’s bodies were found one day post the abduction in Pulupandan and Bago City with gunshot wounds in their heads.

As of press time, the entire Negros Occidental had their ears glued to the remote radio broadcast of the Guihulngan proceedings. Treyes, himself, had asked that the venue of the hearing be transferred to Bacolod where most of the participants and the principal characters are residing. The crime, incidentally, had originated in Bacolod and, as adduced by Treyes, only mentioned that Salabas had reportedly been brought to the Negros Oriental town and stayed there briefly until his remains were later traced to Ajuy, in Iloilo.

Another twist was the failure by Dongail to appear before the Guihulngan court. Bacolod PNP chief George Bajelot claimed that Dongail has to testify on several anti-drug cases he had filed against several Bacolod pushers before local courts.

Bajelot, who is due for transfer, challenged lawyer Januas Harder to charge him for failing to deliver Dongail to the court, and not just threaten to do it.

Trade Offensive

Negros Occidental will take advantage of the Philippine Trade Services Corp., by hosting the consultative dialog here today of 48 members of the organization plus DTI officers Thomas Aquino and assistant secretary M.T. Haresco.

The top leaders of the sugar industry will meet with the Philippine Foreign Trade Service Corp. at the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters Social Hall in Barangay Alijis on Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, 30 commercial attaches and their support staff will also try to get a feel of trade and investment climate of the province today, according to DTI provincial head Perfecto Yap.

The trade attaches will also visit other provinces of the region.

Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Maranon and Bacolod City Mayor Luzviminda Valdez will present highlights of both the provincial and Bacolod’s plans and programs designed to attract investors.

This Saturday visit will be a boon to the province. The attaches will present trade opportunities to the countries of their respective assignments, according to Yap.