Has justice been finally served to the Bacolod family? This is the question that would immediately pop up in the heads of many after the court handed down a decision last Friday convicting Dinagat Representative Ruben Ecleo Jr. for the brutal death of his wife a decade ago.
Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras found Ecleo, the leader of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, guilty of killing his wife Alona Bacolod Ecleo, whose body was recovered from a ravine in Dalaguete town days after she was reported missing.
The case has gripped Cebuanos and the nation for years. In the effort to seek justice, Alona’s parents and a brother were also killed. They were massacred on the day Ecleo’s followers staged a deadly resistance against the police who stormed his enclave in Dinagat Island for his arrest. And then there was private prosecutor Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco, who was shot to death reportedly by Ecleo followers.
But the controversial lawmaker was not around to hear the court decision sentencing him to reclusion perpetua. He remained in hiding after the Sandiganbayan released a warrant for his arrest over a graft case.
Now, the next move is for authorities to intensify the campaign for the capture of the fugitive congressman. He should be immediately arrested to serve his jail term. But police see a problem for his immediate arrest.
As supreme master of the PBMA, Ecleo holds an unprecedented clout on over a million followers of the group spread across the country. That makes his arrest a difficult one, according to the police.
Philippine National Police Director General Nicanor Bartolome said Ecleo is not an ordinary fugitive because of his influence and stature. But he is confident that the police will finally capture the congressman given the proper intelligence works and coordination from the community.
We can only say justice is fully served when Ecleo is put behind bars. He is still on the loose and could definitely pose a threat to the lives of those who labored for his conviction.
Alona’s murder is not yet a closed case. There is still a chapter whose pages the public will surely anticipate, as the drama surrounding the effort to eventually capture Ecleo unfolds.