For killing senior officer: Army corporal meted 12 years imprisonment

CEBU, Philippines – An Army corporal was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of homicide for killing his senior officer in 2009 inside the military camp in Lahug.

Regional Trial Court Judge Estella Alma Singco has found Corporal Jesusito Bayang guilty of killing Staff Sergeant Romeo Mendez on September 4, 2009 at the mess hall of Camp Lapu-Lapu.

Bayang, however, was given the benefit of a mitigating circumstance for giving himself in voluntarily to the Military Police after committing the crime.

“Considering the presence of the generic mitigating circumstance of voluntary surrender without any aggravating circumstance, the penalty shall be imposed in its minimum period,” read the court’s decision.

Singco also ordered Bayang to pay the heirs of Mendez the total amount of P183,405 in actual, ci-vil and moral damages including the attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.

Bayang has claimed self-defense in killing Mendez but the court dismissed his claim for lack of sufficient evidence. According to Bayang, he was sleeping inside the barracks when Mendez awakened him by pulling his broken leg and told to start cleaning the surroundings.

He went out to get a broom but he went back inside the Barracks because it was still dark outside. This allegedly irked Mendez.

Bayang said he heard a sound similar to that of a loading of a gun prompting him to return to his place to also get his firearm for self defense. Bayang said he went to the mess hall to have coffee where Mendez confronted him.

Bayang said he tried to leave the mess hall to avoid further confrontation. However, as he was about to leave the area he heard a banging sound of the table, prompting him to turn around, pulled out his gun and shot Mendez.

Bayang’s lawyer, Rameses Villagonzalo, said he will appeal the decision. —/FPL (FREEMAN)