Supporter: Ruben Ecleo did not hide

CEBU, Philippines – Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) supreme master Ruben Ecleo Jr. failed to attend in yesterday's hearing of his parricide case reportedly upon ad-vice of his doctor.

Ecleo's lawyer Orlando Salatandre told reporters Ecleo was confined at the Makati Medical Hospital for several days owing to his heart ailment and was just dis-charged last week. His doctor reportedly advised him to rest.

Salatandre assured the court that Ecleo will be in court on November 24, the next scheduled hearing of the case.

Ecleo is facing criminal charges for allegedly masterminding the death of his wife Alona on January 5, 2002. Alona's body was discovered inside a black plastic bag down a ravine in the southern town of Dalaguete.

The case has been passed on from one judge to another and is now being handled by Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras.

In yesterday's hearing, the defense placed on the witness stand Rene Cantana, president of PBMA's chapter in Libertad, Bogo City to belie reports that Ecleo went into hiding after Alona was killed. 

Cantana told the court Ecleo was with them on January 7, 2002 because they asked him to resolve a problem regarding the lot where their headquarters stands. He said the siblings of the owner of the land wanted a part of the lot.

Cantana said Ecleo arrived at Libertad at 5:30 pm and proceeded with a healing session. By 7pm, a program was reportedly held during which Cantana and Ecleo deliv-ered messages to their members.

Ecleo reportedly left Libertad at 6pm the next day and went home to his house in Banawa, Cebu City. 

In his cross examination, prosecution lawyer Fritz Quiñanola argued that Can-tana's testimony was not clear, particularly on the reasons why they invited Ecleo to Bogo.

Quiñanola pointed out that Cantana never echoed Ecleo's earlier testimony that he was invited there for a late Christmas and New Year celebration.

"The new revelation brought questions as to the reliability of Cantana's statement after withholding some information from the courts which the prosecution considers ir-relevant to his case," Quiñanola said.

Salatandre said the defense witness is only telling the court the truth.

Ecleo surrendered to authorities on January 19, 2002 in his enclave in Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte, but not after a bloody shootout between his followers and ele-ments of the Philippine National Police and soldiers of the Army's 20th Infantry Battal-ion.

Twenty-three people died that night.

The violence erupted just as Ben Bacolod, Alona's brother and the only witness to her murder, was shot dead in his home in Mandaue City, Cebu, along with his father Elpidio and mother Rosalia by a man armed with an Ingram pistol and an Uzi machine gun.

The politically-connected Ecleo was elected congressman in the recent May 2010 polls. (FREEMAN)