Antipolo lotto slay suspects charged

Charges of robbery with homicide and car theft were filed yesterday before the Antipolo City Regional Trial Court in Rizal against the 10 suspects in the killing of the the husband of a woman who won the P19.6-million lotto jackpot last Oct. 12.

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño said prosecutors found sufficient evidence to file the case in court. He said the evidence is more than enough to pin down the suspects in the killing of Arturo, husband of lotto winner Leticia Eufemia, last Oct. 28.

Zuño said they recommended no bail for the temporary release of the suspects.

Among those indicted were Francisco Aregue, 26; Samuel Giba, 40; Lito Abarico, 43; Luisito Caindoy, 31; Aurelio Omega, Rolando Velasco, 36; Renato Rasonado, 23; Noel Pinioso and Eric Peñalosa.

Two of the remaining suspects, known only as Bert and Andy, are still at large.

Additional charges of illegal possession of firearms were filed against Giba, Peñalosa, Pinioso and Aregue for the improvised shotgun and three caliber .45 automatics seized from them. Prosecutors recommended P80,000 bail for each of the four.

Prosecutors likewise recommended a P300,000 bail for each on the charges of car theft while bail was denied all of them in the charges of robbery with homicide, a capital offense.

As this developed, the Antipolo City police have cleared the son of the Eufemias in the robbery-slay.

Superintendent Jose Dayco, city police chief, said they have nothing to link Renan Eufemia, 31, to the death of his father.

Dayco said the suspects tried to drag the younger Eufemia into the killing in an apparent attempt to pressure the family to drop the charges against them.

One of the suspects, Aregue, linked Renan into the slaying by claiming he masterminded the killing of his father.

Probers have established that Renan invited the suspects in the 58th birthday celebration of his father last Oct. 26. Two days later, his father was found dead inside their house.

Meanwhile, a ranking official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said the agency will help in the prosecution of the suspects.

Conrado Zabella, PCSO assistant general manager for the online lotto sector, said they will cooperate with the authorities but only in confirming that the widow was the winner of the P19.6 million 6/42 lotto jackpot during the Oct. 12 draw.

Zabella, however, did not specify if either of the Eufemia couple, or the widow herself, was the winner.

"We are consistent with our policy to keep the name of the winners confidential but if the court will summon us we will comply and give the details of the jackpot winner," Zabella stated.

He said this was the first time in the history of PCSO that a supposed jackpot winner ended up being a victim.

Zabella stressed the policy of PCSO in advising lottery winners to be more careful.– With reports from Non Alquitran, Perseus Echeminada