Prosecution wants Ecleo's bail cancelled

CEBU, Philippines – The prosecutors handling the parricide case against the supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association cult are set to revive the move to have Ruben Ecleo’s bail cancelled and have him returned to the Cebu City Jail.

Lawyer Fritz Quiñanola said as soon as the trial of the case resumes the prosecution will reiterate their motion for the cancellation of the P1-million bail of Ecleo which was left unresolved by the previous judge handling the case.

Quiñanola said the prosecution panel believes that Ecleo has already recovered from his illness after a considerable period of treatment by a well-known medical expert who also attended to former president Joseph Estrada.

He said they have proof that Ecleo is no longer sick as he claimed to be when judge Generosa Labra granted him bail due to “humanitarian reasons”. According to Quiñanola, Ecleo was seen already attending social gatherings and was even caught on television attending last year’s State of the National Address of President Gloria Arroyo.

Quiñanola said, although Ecleo has a pending petition before the Supreme Court to declare the granting of his bail permanent, the prosecution is hopeful that the new judge handling the seven-year-old parricide case, judge Soliver Peras, will rule on their motion.

Peras has already started the preparation for the resumption of the trial of the case. He called the prosecution lawyers and the defense as well as the police to a meeting on Tuesday to map out the security preparations.

The Ecleo trial was suspended for more than a year after the inhibition of judge Geraldine Faith Econg. A controversy was created by her inhibition because then executive judge Fortunato De Gracia denied it causing the matter to be elevated to the Supreme Court to resolve.

Econg’s request was later upheld by the high tribunal. — Fred P. Languido/BRP (THE FREEMAN)