Cervantes family to Cardeno: Yield

The family of Baron Cervantes, self-styled spokesman for the military rightist Young Officers’ Union (YOU) who was murdered on New Year’s Eve last year, called yesterday on the suspected mastermind to turn himself in and help speed up solution of the case.

The call was directed at police Superintendent Rafael Cardeno, tagged as the brains behind the Dec. 31, 2001 murder, who has been absent without official leave since May 15. He was reportedly detailed at the Western Visayas regional police office without any specific assignment.

Cervantes’ father Roque and wife Carol expressed hopes that last Friday’s filing of the murder charges against Cardeno and seven alleged accomplices will finally bring justice to his death.

"We believe in the democratic process and we respect his right for that. We appeal for him to come out in the open and hear the charges against him instead of not surfacing," the elder Cervantes said.

Also sued for murder were self-confessed triggerman Joseph Mostrales and his alleged cohorts Diosdado Santos, Rodolfo Patiño, Jaime Centeno, Erlindo Torres, Eugene Radan, Sonny Camacho and some John Does.

Director Nestorio Gualberto, chief of the Philippine National Police’s criminal investigation and detection group, was optimistic that his probers have an airtight case against the eight accused.

Apart from Mostrales’ confession, Gualberto said they also have two eyewitnesses who claimed they saw the actual killing.

In his sworn statement, Mostrales assured the victims’ parents that he would stick to his affidavit and help the police pin down the masterminds.

He said he received a call from Cardeno in the morning of the day of the murder.

Mostrales said he subsequently contacted Centeno and Torres.

For his part, Camacho, said to be a member of Cardeno’s staff at the Land Transportation Office, arranged by phone for a meeting with the victim, at 3 p.m. along the Zapote-Alabang Road in Las Piñas City.

Mostrales, Centeno and Torres, acting on instructions from Cardeno, boarded a green Hyundai van and went to Las Piñas where they met Radan, Santos and Patiño.

The group then proceeded to the Alabang-Zapote road at about 3 p.m. and waited for Cervantes at a nearby restaurant.

Some of the men positioned themselves at an adjacent gasoline station.

The suspects said Cardeno called them up later inquiring about the progress of their mission.

After the murder, the group said they went to Cardeno’s house in Biñan, Laguna where they were given a bottle of wine and an envelope containing P20,000 purportedly to be divided among themselves for their respective families’ media noche.

They group said Cardeno, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1982, congratulated them "for a job well done." — With Jaime Laude