Fishing magnate denies link to Mafia-style murders

MANILA, Philippines – Navotas fishing magnate Lope Jimenez, one of seven suspects charged with murder for allegedly killing Ruby Rose Jimenez, said yesterday he has neither involvement nor motive to order the Mafia-style slay of his brother’s daughter-in-law.

Through his lawyer, Paul Lentejas, Lope also denied ordering similar murders of his business rivals, as alleged by National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales.

Lentejas, in a statement sent to The STAR, said the criminal case filed against his client was “flawed” and the complainants and the investigating authorities were merely “speculating.”

He also cited the lack of a “strong motive” on the part of his client to order Ruby Rose’s death.

“My client… is innocent of this murder charge and we will submit proof of this at the proper forum,” Lentejas said.

Lentejas said they have yet to receive a copy of the affidavit of Manuel Montero, another suspect who turned state witness and guided the police in the recovery of Ruby Rose’s body in the waters off Navotas last Wednesday.

Lentejas belied reports that the probable motive for the killing of Ruby Rose was due to a custody battle between the victim and her husband, Manuel “Thirdy” Jimenez III, for their two children.

“How could this be a strong motive for Thirdy to kill or order the killing of Ruby Rose when precisely he won that battle?” he said.

Lentejas pointed out that Lope is not on “speaking terms” with Thirdy since 2005 after his client’s relationship with his brother, lawyer Manuel Jimenez II, had been estranged. Jimenez II is Thirdy’s father.

“How could my client have any motive when for many years now, he doesn’t care about Thirdy anymore, much less with his wife,” Lope’s lawyer said.

Lentejas also denied that Lope was engaged in any criminal activities.

“What criminal activities are the police talking about? My client is a decent businessman who is just trying to earn a living in the fishing industry,” he said.

Ruby Rose, 26, went missing on March 14, 2007 while she was on her way to her estranged husband’s house in Las Piñas to visit her children.

On June 11, the police, through the help of Montero, a former operations manager of the Buena Suerte Jimenez Fishing and Trading Co. owned by Lope recovered the victim’s body. Montero had earlier confessed to witnessing Ruby Rose strangled to death.

Montero said he saw the victim’s body stuffed in a drum, which was filled with cement and placed inside a steel case. The case was then dropped into the sea a nautical mile away from Navotas’ shores by the crew of one of Lope’s ships, he alleged.

Montero named Lope, Jimenez II, Eric Fernandez, Spike Discalzo, Roberto Ponce, Rudy de la Cruz and an alias Abet in the case.

The suspects, including Montero, were charged Thursday with murder before the Department of Justice for Ruby Rose’ death.

However, lawyer Mario Aguinaldo claimed Ruby Rose’s murder is the product of an attempt to destroy and “frame” Thirdy’s family.

Aguinaldo, who said he represents the Jimenez family, said some people could have taken advantage of the couple’s marital problems to adversely affect the business interests of Thirdy.

The Jimenezes are engaged in several businesses, including fishing and agricultural companies. The family owns a farmland and a poultry farm in Cavite, as well as a number of gasoline stations.

“This is a frame-up. When these people learned that the couple has cases in court, they grabbed the opportunity to aggravate the situation and destroy the [Jimenez] family,” Aguinaldo said in a television interview.

He did not identify the people he claimed wanted to destroy the Jimenezes.

 Ruby Rose’s kin blamed

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said yesterday Ruby Rose’s murder could have been prevented if she or her family had reported the beatings she allegedly endured to authorities.

Former actress Rochelle Barrameda was quoted as saying that her sister, in full view of their children, allegedly suffered physical abuse inflicted by her husband.

“You know, I think this could have been prevented if during the time that she was being beaten up, the police had been told that this was happening. This is a very tragic thing that would probably not have happened if (the beatings) had been reported,” Puno said in a press conference in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

Puno said he was somewhat personally involved in the case because Barrameda had approached him about a year and a half ago through a mutual friend to seek help after becoming desperate over the lack of progress in the case of her missing sister.

“It’s so sad that Rochelle came to us when her sister was missing already. And you know it took one year-and-a-half before this case was solved. But we chased people all the way, all the way to Bicol, all the way to Samar. We went all over the country looking for witnesses until finally somebody came up and told us exactly where to find the corpse,” he said.

Puno said he directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to take over the case.

“The CIDG, had looked for witnesses to shed light on Jimenez’s whereabouts, searching as far as Bicol until one of those involved in the killing came forward to confess and narrate the gruesome fate that had befallen her,” he said.

According to another report, Rosales said it took more than a month of negotiations before Montero surrendered and guided them to Ruby Rose’s body.

He said the conscience-stricken Montero sought him out.

“He told me he monitored me on the television news programs and that he would trust his safety and that of his family only to me. He wanted to surrender because he and his group have done many people wrong,” Rosales said in an interview.

The NCRPO is guarding Montero, who worked for Lope’s shipping firm from 1994 to 2007, and his family on a 24-hour basis at a safehouse in Metro Manila. – With Mike Frialde