CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Justice has placed under provisional protection six of the 15 witnesses in the kidnapping with homicide case against Bella Ruby Santos and her boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths.
State prosecutor Llena Ipong-Avila said the six are vital witnesses in the case. They will be under provisional protection of the DOJ until their applications for permanent protection under the Witness Protection Program are approved by the DOJ central office in Manila.
“The provisional protection is automatically given in our level but to place witnesses in permanent protection until the case will be terminated, the Central Office has to decide on it,” Avila said.
According to Ipong, the provisional protection normally last for three months. She said they expect that the DOJ Manila will also have the final decision on the witnesses’ application by then.
Ipong said they have already endorsed the application for witness protection coverage of these vital witnesses to Manila. An evaluator will be assigned to look into their applications.
“If the evaluator finds that there is a risk in the life of the witnesses, the DOJ Central Office will grant the applications but if there was not the Office will terminate the protection,” she said.
Avila admitted that some of the witnesses were either hesitant or not willing to stay in the DOJ safe house. She said they are persuading them to stay in the safe house for their protection.
The police earlier said that some of the witnesses against Santos and Griffiths have been offered cash to withdraw their testimonies. One of the members of the Task Force Ellah Joy who requested anonymity even admitted that one of their vital witnesses has already showed signs of possible withdrawal.
The source said, should this witness recant, one face of their case will collapse. According to the source, they can no longer prove the homicide aspect of the case.
Defense counsel Rameses Villagonzalo, however, denied reports that his clients were trying to bribe the prosecution witnesses.
He even challenged the Task Force Ellah Joy to prove their allegations by filing charges.
Santos and Griffiths were charged with kidnapping with homicide over the death of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique in February.
Pique was abducted in the afternoon of February 7 on her way home from school in Calajo-an Minglanilla. A Caucasian-looking male and a Cebuana companion were tagged as the suspects.
Pique’s body was found dumped in a ravine in Barili a day after her abduction. —(FREEMAN)