CEBU, Philippines – After having been stalled for more than a year, the parricide case against Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. was re-raffled yesterday to a new judge who will continue hearing the case.
Regional Trial Court Branch 10 presiding judge Soliver Peras, an Army reservist, is the new judge assigned to hear the seven-year-old controversial case.
Peras is also the seventh judge assigned to the case.
The other judges who handled the Ecleo case before Peras were Galicano Arriesgado, who issued the original warrant for Ecleo’s arrest; Olegario Sarmiento, who denied the motion to quash it; Generosa Labra, who granted him bail; Anacleto Caminade, who signed the release order; and Ireneo Gako Jr., who was the first to begin hearing the case with Ecleo out of jail and Geraldine Faith Econg.
Econg was the last judge to handle the case but inhibited herself a year ago upon the motion of the prosecution for alleged biases. The case was not immediately re-raffled to another court because a memorandum order by then executive judge Fortunato de Gracia prevented Econg from stepping down from the case.
The prosecution questioned the memorandum order elevating the issue to the Supreme Court. The SC lately ruled in favor of Econg, thus the re-raffling of the case yesterday.
RTC branches 7, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18 and 58 participated in the re-raffling. Branches 5, 11, 12, 19 and 23 were exempted from the raffle.
Executive Judge Mienrado Paredes explained that RTC Branches 5 and 12 are exempted from receiving new cases, Branch 11 was designated a commercial court, while the judge of the Branch 19 has just retired. Branch 23 was also exempted because the case already passed there.
Judge Simeon Dumdum of the RTC Branch 7 tried to beg off from participating in the raffle for health reasons.
However, the raffle committee turned down his request saying that the raffling of cases is an administrative process that they all need to participate in.
Judge Gabriel Ingles said that had the case been raffled off to Dumdum’s court he can still exercise his judicial discretion to inhibit from handling the case.
Niño Bacolod, brother of Alona and one of the surviving Bacolods, said he was happy that the case has a new judge.
“Pasalamat mi nga at least masugdan na pagbalik ang hearing after one year and three months,” he told The FREEMAN after the raffle.
Ecleo’s lawyer Orlando Salatandre who attended the raffle said they welcome the process and hope that they will be able to conclude their presentation of evidence already. Salatandre said he still has three to four more witnesses to present.
Aside from Salatandre the prosecution lawyers who volunteered to continue prosecuting the case after private prosecutor Arbet Santa Ana-Yongco was murdered were also present during the re-raffling. Among those who witnessed the re-raffle were Alfredo Sipalay and Kit Enriquez.
Ecleo was accused of killing his wife, Alona, more than seven years ago and stuffing her body inside a black garbage bag before it was thrown down a cliff in Dalaguete town. — Fred P. Languido/BRP (THE FREEMAN)