NBI gets witnesses vs Soriano

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday disclosed that the three jailguards of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will be used as state witnesses in the car theft charges to former bureau intelligence agent Martin Soriano and four others.

Regional Director Ruel Lasala, of the NBI-National Capital Region Division (NCRD), said they will no longer include the three prison guards in the criminal charges after they agreed to stand as witnesses against Soriano. Also charged with car theft were Soriano’s drivers Michael Gatchalian and Emiliano Capili, Helen Gratil, and Maria Irlanda.

To stand as witness against them are Senior Jail Officer 3 Enrique Guevarra, assigned as escort supervisor and recovery unit of the Caloocan City-BJMP; Edgardo Naguiming, supplier officer, and SJO3 Eduardo Tayag, both of Quezon City-BJMP.

"We have already taken their (jailguards’) statements," said Lasala.

In fact, they already released the three BJMP officers last Tuesday evening since they have already given their statements. Soriano has also been returned to the QC-BJMP that has jurisdiction over him. All that remained in the NBI-NCRD’s custody are the two drivers and two women.

However, Lasala clarified that the jail officers are not completely off the hook since they could still face administrative charges.

"We will forward pertinent documents to the Department of Interior and Local Management (DILG) which they could use as a basis in determining if they would file administrative charges against them," Lasala said.

Some of the issues that the DILG might address are the observations that Soriano had no handcuffs at the time of the arrest, he was not wearing a BJMP shirt, and the jail officers were only wearing a B-type uniform.

He added that these questions would be raised in an automatic administrative investigation to be conducted by the BJMP.

Soriano allegedly stole the silver Mitsubishi Lancer, with license plates XSB-645, owned by a former bureau asset, 42-year-old businessman Johnny Catayong.

At around 12 noon of Dec. 11, Catayong was cruising along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City when he saw his stolen vehicle. He then tailed the Mitsubishi Lancer and a white Toyota Rav 4, with license plates XMC-686, which parked front of a noodle house along Makati Avenue.

Catayong called NBI-NCR Regional Director Ruel Lasala for assistance. The NBI immediately dispatched a response team and apprehended them.

It appeared that the BJMP officers just escorted Soriano to attend a morning hearing on the arbitrary detention charges filed against him before the Makati City Municipal Trial Court. When pursued how he came to possess the questioned vehicle, the former NBI intelligence agent said it was just pawned to him. — Evelyn Macairan