Torralba's friend says: Accused does not fit gunman's description

A colleague and friend of broadcaster Cirse "Choy" Torralba yesterday admitted that the alleged gunman, who is now facing trial for frustrated murder, does not fit to the description of the assailant as earlier relayed to him by the radioman.

Erick Labrada, who was presented by the prosecution as one of its rebuttal witnesses, said Torralba told him in the hospital that the person who shot him was "chinito, mestizo looking and taller than him."

Labrada also said that Toralba told him that he had at least two suspects, one of them is the accused John Lloyd Ortiz and the other is the boyfriend of a certain Miss Sanico, one of their campaign staff members for vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda.

During cross-examination conducted by defense lawyer Rolando Quimbo, Labrada admitted that when he first saw the accused at the Homicide Section of the city police two days after Torralba was shot, his physical description did not match to what was relayed to him by Torralba.

Labrada said Ortiz was not "chinito," contrary to what the broadcaster had described. He, however, explained that it was possible that when Torralba saw the accused, "he contracted his eyes in order to have a good sight."

Labrada testified that he traced the whereabouts of Ortiz immediately after Torralba told him that Ortiz is one of his suspects. Labrada said he immediately communicated to Yvonne Igbuhay, Ortiz's girlfriend and one of their campaign staff members for Legarda during the last elections.

Labrada said through Igbuhay, he was able to confirm that Ortiz was in Cebu when Toralba was shot in the afternoon of June 6, 2005. But even if they had other suspects then, he was not able to contact Miss Sanico to also verify the whereabouts and identity of her boyfriend.

The prosecution will present its last rebuttal witness, Insp. Mario Monilar, on December 6. - Fred P. Languido/LPM