Jaylo, 3 others get 14 years in prison
April 18, 2007 | 12:00am
The Sandiganbayan yesterday sentenced retired Col. Reynaldo Jaylo and three other former police officers to 14 years in prison for killing two former military officials and a civilian who were allegedly involved in drug trafficking 17 years ago.
Jaylo and the police officers were then members of the Western Police District’s (WPD) anti-illegal drug unit.
The four were found guilty of multiple homicide for the death of Army Col. Rolando de Guzman, Maj. Franco Calanog and Avelino Manguera at the Magallanes Commercial Center in Makati during a buy-bust operation on July 10, 2000.
The conviction of Jaylo, former patrolman Edgardo Castro, Private First Class William Valenzona and Pfc. Antonio Hablo to 14 years imprisonment was, however, not complete as three of the accused were not present during the reading of the sentence.
Castro was reportedly already dead and the three have stopped appearing at court hearings after their lawyers had finished their defense presentations.
The court’s First Division, headed by Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro, has downgraded the initial charge of murder filed against them in 1992 to homicide due to the failure of prosecutors to prove that there were "elements of treachery, premeditation, and use of superior strength" in the commission of the crime.
The 103-page decision, penned by De Castro and signed by Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Alexander Gesmundo, has rejected the main defense of the three accused of "lawful performance of their duties in the killing of the victims."
The court found no sufficient evidence that the victims resisted arrest and engaged the police in a shootout as what the group claimed.
The Sandiganbayan noted the failure of the accused to submit the guns allegedly used by the victims for proper identification to be compared to bullet slugs recovered from the crime scene.
Morever, the courts’ three justices noted the absence of bullet holes, scratches, or bloodstains on the two cars used by De Guzman’s party, which contradicts Jaylo’s claim that De Guzman was inside his car, a Saab, when they allegedly traded gunfire with them.
De Guzman’s widow Zenaida, 67, a former school teacher and real estate broker, was elated over the long-awaited decision.
"There is still justice in the Philippines," she told reporters. "I still believe in the justice system of this country".
Mrs. De Guman has used up much of the family savings in pursuing the case. She told The Star that she has found inner strength in her renewed devotion to her Christian faith.
The case has drawn much attention because Jaylo is a famous policeman, whose life story has even been made into film.
Former President Corazon Aquino created a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the incident, which resulted in the reported seizure of 10 kilos of heroin from the slain victims at the Magallanes Commercial Center in Makati.
In their defense, the accused officers presented Sen. Alfredo Lim, who is a former WPD chief, Manila Mayor and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director, to testify.
Jaylo and the three police officers were on a special mission with the NBI, then headed by Lim, when the buy-bust operation against De Guzman’s group was conducted.
Jaylo and the police officers were then members of the Western Police District’s (WPD) anti-illegal drug unit.
The four were found guilty of multiple homicide for the death of Army Col. Rolando de Guzman, Maj. Franco Calanog and Avelino Manguera at the Magallanes Commercial Center in Makati during a buy-bust operation on July 10, 2000.
The conviction of Jaylo, former patrolman Edgardo Castro, Private First Class William Valenzona and Pfc. Antonio Hablo to 14 years imprisonment was, however, not complete as three of the accused were not present during the reading of the sentence.
Castro was reportedly already dead and the three have stopped appearing at court hearings after their lawyers had finished their defense presentations.
The court’s First Division, headed by Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro, has downgraded the initial charge of murder filed against them in 1992 to homicide due to the failure of prosecutors to prove that there were "elements of treachery, premeditation, and use of superior strength" in the commission of the crime.
The 103-page decision, penned by De Castro and signed by Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Alexander Gesmundo, has rejected the main defense of the three accused of "lawful performance of their duties in the killing of the victims."
The court found no sufficient evidence that the victims resisted arrest and engaged the police in a shootout as what the group claimed.
The Sandiganbayan noted the failure of the accused to submit the guns allegedly used by the victims for proper identification to be compared to bullet slugs recovered from the crime scene.
Morever, the courts’ three justices noted the absence of bullet holes, scratches, or bloodstains on the two cars used by De Guzman’s party, which contradicts Jaylo’s claim that De Guzman was inside his car, a Saab, when they allegedly traded gunfire with them.
De Guzman’s widow Zenaida, 67, a former school teacher and real estate broker, was elated over the long-awaited decision.
"There is still justice in the Philippines," she told reporters. "I still believe in the justice system of this country".
Mrs. De Guman has used up much of the family savings in pursuing the case. She told The Star that she has found inner strength in her renewed devotion to her Christian faith.
The case has drawn much attention because Jaylo is a famous policeman, whose life story has even been made into film.
Former President Corazon Aquino created a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the incident, which resulted in the reported seizure of 10 kilos of heroin from the slain victims at the Magallanes Commercial Center in Makati.
In their defense, the accused officers presented Sen. Alfredo Lim, who is a former WPD chief, Manila Mayor and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director, to testify.
Jaylo and the three police officers were on a special mission with the NBI, then headed by Lim, when the buy-bust operation against De Guzman’s group was conducted.
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