Court to reinvestigate UPLB coed's slay

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, Philippines – A regional trial court (RTC) judge here has granted a motion for reinvestigation into last year’s rape-slay of 19-year-old University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) student Given Grace Cebanco, her family’s legal counsel said yesterday.

Lawyer Tito Sese told The STAR that Judge Alberto Serrano of RTC 4th Judicial Region Branch 92, has allowed the reinvestigation of the Cebanico case as he acted on the motion of the legal counsel of the two accused, security guard Lester Lopez Rivera and tricycle driver Percival de Guzman.

Sese said police charged Rivera and De Guzman with rape with homicide, but their lawyers want this amended to robbery with rape and homicide.

The court has set the reinvestigation on Feb, 2, 6, 9, and 15.

Sese said the arraignment of the two accused, originally set last Oct. 26 and Dec. 18, was postponed, as the court had yet to rule on the motion for reinvestigation.

Jail guards escorted the two for their supposed arraignment yesterday, but the family, relatives and friends of Cebanico and the prosecution lawyers were caught unawares on the postponement anew.

Rivera earlier had admitted killing Cebanico but denied raping her. De Guzman denied his participation in the killing.

Cebanico had bullet and stab wounds in the back, her mouth was gagged with tape and her hands were tied from behind when her body was found at a grassy lot along the Institute of Plant Breeding Road.