Archival’s family gets “threats”

CEBU, Philippines - The family of the late lawyer Noel Archival claimed that they have been receiving ‘death threats’ from an unknown texter.

Talamban barangay councilman Nelson Archival, brother of the slain lawyer, said that the text messages warned them of something bad to happen if they will not stop their quest for justice.

Nelson visited yesterday the office of the National Bureau of Investigation-7 to report the threats. Nelson vowed that no threat will stop them from pursuing the case against the people responsible in the death of his brother.

The NBI-7 has already filed criminal complaints before the prosecutor’s office against the officials and personnel of the Highway Patrol Group-7 who were tagged as suspects—Sr. Supt. Romualdo Iglesia, Sr. Insp. Joselito Lerion, Chief Insp. Eduardo Mara, SPO4 Edwin Galan, and PO1 Alex Bacani.

Meanwhile, Nelson has downplayed the claims of the suspects in seeking for the transfer of the preliminary investigation to the Department of Justice in Manila because of the perceived influence of his family over the prosecutors in Cebu.

According to Nelson, there is no truth to the claims. He said the Archival family has no power to influence the provincial prosecutor’s office which is conducting the preliminary investigation.

“We are an ordinary people. Their intention to bring the case to Manila for the conduct of the preliminary investigation is to discourage us because it’s quite far from here,” he said.

The respondents asked DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima to hold the preliminary investigation in Manila instead of holding it in Cebu because of the alleged influence of the brother of the victim, Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival.

The suspects believe that they could not get a “fair decision” from the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. The request was opposed by the Archival family through lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu.

 â€œRespondents have not shown circumstances that can question the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor (OPP)-CEBU’s fairness, independence and impartiality in the investigation of cases. Respondents failed to cite causes that could conceivably erode the trait of objectivity of OPP-CEBU as an investigating agency.”

On the other hand, the NBI is now in the process of identifying the other suspects included in the complaints for multiple murder and frustrated murder against the HPG-7 officials and personnel.

Nelson said he was satisfied with the ongoing investigation and is confident that the pieces of evidence against the suspects were strong.

Lawyer Archival and two of his staffers were killed in an ambushed on Feb. 18, 2014 in Barangay Coro Dalaguete. The victims were on their way to Cebu City after attending a court hearing in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. (FREEMAN)