DOJ summons Cedric, Deniece

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has summoned businessman Cedric Lee, model Deniece Cornejo and six others to answer criminal charges emanating from the attack on comedian and television host Vhong Navarro last Jan.22.

In a subpoena issued yesterday, the all-female investigating panel of prosecutors ordered the respondents to appear before the DOJ in a preliminary investigation hearing at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14.

They were told to submit respective counter-affidavits on charges of serious illegal detention – a non-bailable offense, serious physical injury, grave threats, grave coercion, illegal arrest and blackmail filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last week.

Apart from Lee and Cornejo, also covered by the subpoena were Lee’s sister Bernice, Ferdinand Guerrero, Zimmer Rance, an alias Mike and two other unidentified men seen in the CCTV footage presented earlier by the NBI.

The investigating panel is composed of Assistant State Prosecutors Olivia Torrevillas, Hazel Decena-Valdez and Marie Elvira Herrera in the DOJ.

Cornejo’s counter-charge of rape against Navarro will be consolidated in the investigation by the same panel.

The Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office will forward today the records of the rape complaint to the DOJ.

Rape claim ‘highly improbable’

The NBI had said evidence – most notably the CCTV footage from the condominium where the incident took place – would support the version of Navarro, making Cornejo’s rape claim “highly improbable.”

The footage showed Navarro – in a bull cap – leaving the building with his hands tied behind his back, along with eight people, including Lee and Cornejo, at around 11 p.m. last Jan. 22.

Navarro claimed that the respondents beat him up and tried to extort up to P2 million from him while he was inside Cornejo’s unit at Forbeswood Heights condominium in Taguig City.

The DOJ had placed Lee, Cornejo and their companions under the lookout bulletin order of the Bureau of Immigration.

A lookout bulletin order would not prevent Lee and Cornejo from leaving the country. Only a hold departure order or watchlist order issued by a trial court can prevent accused in criminal cases from boarding international flights.

The DOJ used to have the power to issue hold departure order or lookout bulletin, but this was suspended by a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court over a case that remains pending since 2011.

Condo unit inspected

The NBI yesterday inspected the condominium unit of Cornejo and found blood stains and the food pack that Navarro brought with him on Jan. 22.

Assistant regional director Jun de Guzman of the NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) declined to conclude if the crime scene was preserved two weeks after the incident happened.

“All I’m saying is that these are what have been recovered initially,” De Guzman said.

Also yesterday, two defense lawyers, including Cornejo’s, showed up at the NBI-National Capital Region headquarters to ask for a copy of the case folder.

But De Guzman turned their request down, saying their camps should seek these copies from the DOJ as the case has already been filed there.

Navarro remains confined at St. Luke’s Medical Center, where he was brought after the incident.

Security agency fined

The Philippine National Police (PNP), for its part, fined the security agency whose personnel manned the condominium where Cornejo was staying.

PNP Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) administration officer Chief Inspector Sonny Celedio said the P5,000 fine imposed on United MegaForce Security Services Inc. would cover the lapses of its personnel who did not report the alleged rape and attack incidents within 24 hours from the time they were committed.

“We are wondering why they did not do that. On that aspect, initially they are at fault. We will be penalizing them for that failure,” Celedio told reporters in a briefing.

He and other SOSIA officers met with Wilfredo Molles, operations manager of the security agency, and guards Domingo Lero Jr. and Roderick Garbin yesterday.

Celedio and Molles refused to categorically identify the incorporators of the security agency.

Celedio virtually cleared the incorporators, saying “they have nothing to do with what has happened.”

“Whether or not the retired officials of the PNP or AFP (are the incorporators), the fact that their agency is involved, they should allow the investigation being conducted by the PNP and the NBI to proceed,” Celedio said.

He said SOSIA has started its investigation and is expected to come up with the results and recommendations before the weekend.

Celedio said through the investigation, SOSIA would be able to determine whether the security agency’s license to operate must be revoked or if its personnel have to undergo additional training.

But he admitted that the PNP unit has limited authority on security agencies, which are bounded by contracts with their clients.

“That’s why we are telling them to advise their clients of the policies we have. If an incident has taken place and they did not submit a report, we will penalize them,” Celedio said.

He said the guards were saying that they were kept by the management from doing so.

But Celedio said reporting incidents to the SOSIA would not mean the privacy of the security agencies’ clients has been violated.

Molles, for his part, said the security agency has complied with all the requirements issued by the NBI in relation to the incident.

‘Lee had police escorts’

Meanwhile, records from the PNP-Police Security Protection Group (PSPG) showed that Lee was able to get police escorts on three instances.

Lee first got an approval for police escorts on April 2, 2007 according to the PSPG data.

He again got an escort - PO2 Donald Pichay – on Oct. 31, 2008. When Pichay died, Lee was assigned another escort, PO1 Alfredo Peñaflor.

There was also a record in the PSPG that Lee had a terminated request on Jan. 1, 2000.

At present, no police escort is detailed to secure Lee.

Officials of the PSPG, who refused to be named, said they are verifying some information in Lee’s records because of some apparent discrepancies.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP public information office chief, said the PNP-Directorate for Intelligence (DI) validates all requests for police escorts.

Sindac said the DI conducts counter-intelligence on all requests to determine the validity of the death threat of the individual requesting for security.

In the event a police escort is assigned, Sindac said the PSPG could recall them in case there was violation committed either by the person being secured or the police escort himself.

Sindac said police escorts could also be recalled if the threat had died down. – With Mike Frialde, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Aie Balagtas See