President hails Pasay judge

"I wish I could give you a bonus," President Arroyo exclaimed as she shook hands with Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Eleuterio Guerrero, whom she paid a surprise visit at his chamber yesterday.

But of course, the government could not give bonuses to judges for their verdicts that pleases the President. And so, for Mrs. Arroyo, the least she could do was personally thank and congratulate the judge for his "firm and decisive action".

Guerrero of the RTC Branch 116 sentenced on Wednesday three men to die by lethal injection after the court found them guilty for the kidnapping of the daughter of a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

The President said that she would order a manhunt operation for Roberto Yap-Obeles, the mastermind and financier of the November 2000 kidnapping of scion Fritzie So.

Obeles, a medical practitioner by profession who later turned to sugar trading, was allowed to post a P300,000 bail bond at the onset of the trial.

Obeles, through his lawyer, had asked the court to reset the promulgation because he was sick with influenza. But Guerrero denied his petition and sentenced Obeles in absentia.

The promulgation was originally scheduled last July 15 but was postponed because Gue-rrero got sick.

Also now in the death row are Obeles’ brother-in-law Johnny Bautista and a companion, Jerry Morales. Three other accused in the case remain at large.

Another accused, Cesar Palapar, has turned state witness. Palapar was the driver of the vehicle used to snatch So, now 20 years old, from her family’s hardware store along Taft Avenue. The kidnappers demanded an P8-million ransom but later agreed to be paid P1-million for the girl’s release.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, who accompanied the President in her visit, said he would look into the possibility of letting Palapar avail of the government’s Witness Protection Program.

The President has vowed to stamp out criminality and terrorism in the country, which she said are the main deterrents to progress.

She told Guerrero that it was important for the Filipino people to see that arrests lead to convictions in the government’s fight against criminality.

Her smile growing wider, the President added: "Itong ginawa ninyo ay isang malaking paglilingkod sa ating buong bansa, kaya yun na lang ang magagawa ng inyong lingkod, ang dumalaw sa inyo dahil hindi naman natin madadaan sa mga bonus," as Guerrero blushed and laughed along with the crowd.

The President also congratulated Branch 117 Judge Henrick Gingoyon who recently sentenced a suspected Indonesian terrorist to 17 years in prison for illegal possession of explosives.

Guerrero was apparently overwhelmed by President Arroyo’s visit. "I feel honored (by her visit). I’m just an ordinary judge. I did not think that the President would visit me because of my decision."

It was the first time that Guerrero, a judge for the last 12 years, imposed the death penalty. He admitted that he agonized over the decision. "I am not happy with my decision. Imagine sentencing three people to die? That’s a big thing. You can never forget something like that." – Marichu Villanueva