Suspect in UP student slay released

A Quezon City Regional Trial Court has ordered the release of the suspect in the killing of University of the Philippines student Niño Calinao in February 1999 due to insufficient evidence to indict him in court.

QCRTC Branch 219 Judge Jose Paneda cleared Rizal Saari Lamsaani of Tandang Sora, Quezon City of murder charges filed against him by the victim's family.

In his motion to dismiss the case, the accused said the prosecution’s witnesses, Lina de Castro, UP security guard assigned at the lobby of Palma Hall, and photocopier Rita Santing, failed to recognize him as one of the killers of Calinao, who was 21 years old at that time.

However, Judge Paneda denied the motions of the other suspects — Resurrection Ranin, Jr., Bessmart Al-Baddar Lauppah, and Omar Hadjilla because they were positively identified by the witnesses.

Court records showed that Calinao, a journalism student, along with fellow members of the UP Volleyball Club were sitting on a concrete bench at the Arts and Sciences Walk in front of the Scintilla Juris fraternity "tambayan" in the late afternoon of Feb. 19, 1999 when a man shot him at close range.

The gunman fired three more shots at Calinao, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the East Avenue Medical Center.

Records also showed that the murder of Calinao was a case of mistaken identity. — Pia Lee Brago