MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has placed Janelle Manahan under government protection following her testimony on the murder of her boyfriend, actor Ram Revilla (real name Ramgen Bautista) last Oct. 28, Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed yesterday.
In an ambush interview, the DOJ chief said she approved the application of Manahan for coverage under witness protection program (WPP). “But I cannot discuss further details,” she stressed, citing confidentiality rules under the WPP.
Manahan’s custody would be transferred to the DOJ from the Parañaque City police.
Her lawyer, Restituto Mendoza, went to the DOJ and formally sought government protection for his client earlier this month. He said Manahan received threats through text messages and social networking sites.
The lawyer also said Manahan also worries about her security since a main suspect, Ryan Montinola Pastera, alias Brian, remains at large and can still pose a threat to the life of his client.
“This is an urgent request of her family and from herself also because right now the Task Force Ramgen of the Parañaque police is temporarily securing her safety. We were informed already that as soon as she is admitted to the WPP, the temporary police detail will be replaced by agents of the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) or whoever the DOJ will assign,” he stressed.
Mendoza said Manahan, in due time, will tell her version of what transpired last Oct. 28, the day she and Ramgen were attacked at his house in Parañaque City.
He said she would reveal what she knows about the “family feud angle, money angle, and the defense of Ramona (Bautista).” Manahan, who witnessed the killing and survived being shot in the face, earlier attended the preliminary investigation hearing into Ramgen’s killing at the Parañaque prosecutor’s office.