Man gets 40-year jail term for murder

CEBU, Philippines - A man was sentenced to suffer 40 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of killing his neighbor in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City almost two decades ago.

Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises has found Alfredo Ravina “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” of the crime of murder. Ravina was positively identified by the lone witness, Dionisio Parba, as one of the three people who killed Ronnie Suarez on August 28, 1995.

Aside from the jail term, Ravina was also ordered by the court to pay P75,000 as civil indemnity; P50,000 as moral damages, and P25,000 as temperate damages to the family of the victim.

The other two accused, Allan Candia and Desiderio Lara, were also convicted of murder ahead of him.

Ravina was arrested on June 12, 2011 through a warrant of arrest issued by the court. He was arraigned on February 28, 2011 and pleaded not guilty.

According to the witness, Ravina along with Candia and Lara conspired to kill Suarez using a knife at 2:30 a.m. on August 28, 1995.

The witness said a commotion woke him up prompting him to check it out. Parba said he saw the victim sitting on a sidecar stabbed by Ravina while the two other accused held him at bay.

Ravina, a fisherman, denied the charges claiming that he was out fishing with Eddie Dignos when the stabbing incident happened. However, the court said the positive identification was more credible than the mere alibi. (FREEMAN)