Ebdane denies link in Pangasinan mayor slay

IBA, Zambales - Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. on Friday derided detractors for coming up with another “bad script” to weigh him down and discredit his administration in time for the coming May elections.

Ebdane was reacting to news reports linking him to the murder of a mayor in Pangasinan which said that was hatched by the principal suspects at the provincial capitol building in Zambales.

Ebdane said the scenario was “simply ridiculous as to be a product of hallucination.”

“Every murder, whoever may be the victim or the suspect, is always a reprehensible act. But this report about my supposed involvement is only pathetically laughable. This is a very, very bad script,” Ebdane said.

Ebdane’s name is apparently being dragged into the case after the National Bureau of Investigation filed murder charges on Tuesday against Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, Jr. and 1st District Rep. Jesus Celeste for the killing of Infanta town Mayor Ruperto Martinez, who was gunned down last Dec. 15.

The NBI based their case on the testimony of a 16-year-old witness, the son of another respondent, who claimed he was present at a meeting in the Zambales capitol where the murder was discussed.

Reports said the NBI subsequently dropped Ebdane from the case “for insufficiency of evidence linking him to Martinez’s killing.”

Ebdane said this can only be the handiwork of his detractors. “But I don’t think they would succeed,” he added.

“Gov. Ebdane has categorically denied meeting with Gov. Espino and Congressman Celeste at any instance in Zambales or anywhere else, and that the only time he would see Gov. Espino is during the meeting of the League of Provinces of the Philippines,” Ianela Jusi-Barrantes, Ebdane’s legal counsel said.