Ex-RAM officer, accused of labor leader's murder, surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - A former rightist military officer, one of the principal suspects in the 1986 double murder of labor leader Rolando Olalia and his driver, Leonor Alay-ay, has surrendered to the Philippine Army.

Ex-Lt. Col. Eduardo “Red” Kapunan surrendered during the resumption of the murder trial last Oct. 6 and is in the custody of the Army’s Custodial Management Unit. He presented himself to Army chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista last Saturday.

Bautista said the Army is “waiting for the court to tell us where to bring him.”

The Supreme Court ruled with finality in January that the case can be tried by the Antipolo regional trial court (RTC). The ruling has paved the way for the arrest of those accused of killing Olalia and Alay-ay.

The Antipolo City RTC Branch 98 scheduled Kapunan’s arraignment on Oct. 17 at 1:30 p.m.

Kapunan was part of the right-wing military group Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM), which staged at least nine deadly coup attempts against the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino.

Kapunan is one of the 13 accused in the double murder case. His surrender brought to two the number of accused in government custody. Desiderio Perez surrendered to Superintendent Ceasar Tannagan, commanding officer of the Rizal Provincial Public Safety Company, last July 24.

The other accused in the case are ex-military officers Oscar Legaspi, Filomeno Maligaya, Cirilo Almario, Jose Bacera, Fernando Casanova, Ricardo Dicon, Gilbert Galicia, Dennis Jabatan, Gene Paris, Freddie Sumagaysay, and Edger Sumido. They were all RAM members, a group that now Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who was Enrile’s right-hand man, used to head.

Kapunan and Legaspi have filed separate motions to dismiss the charges against them, saying the amnesty granted by then President Fidel Ramos to rebel soldiers “extinguished their criminal liability.”

Olalia’s cousin, lawyer Edre Olalia, called on the other accused to surrender. “It’s been 26 years of painful waiting for justice to be served,” he said.– With Non Alquitran