Dominguez surrenders

MANILA, Philippines – Raymond Dominguez, alleged leader of the No. 1 carnapping syndicate in the country, surrendered to police in Malolos City, Bulacan, late Saturday night in fear for his life after being tagged as a principal suspect in three gruesome murders last week.


Senior Superintendent Wendy Rosario, Bulacan Police Provincial Office (PPO) director, said Dominguez volunteered to be placed under police custody even without a court-issued warrant for his arrest.


“He told us that he is afraid because of the threats on his life, so he said he will stay here in the camp, under our watch,” Rosario said.


Dominguez, who is one of nine people tagged by police in the murder of car dealer Venson Evangelista, was accompanied by his legal counsel, his mother, and some journalists when he arrived at the PPO Headquarters in Malolos around 10 p.m.


Rosario said Dominguez is not under arrest and is free to leave the camp any time since no arrest warrant has been issued in connection with his alleged involvement in the killings of Evangelista, Emerson Lozano, another car dealer, and the latter’s driver, Ernani Sencil.


“We want to put it in black and white because I don’t want my men to be placed in the bad light regarding this issue, that’s why are drafting some conditions for his stay in our custody,” said Rosario as he clarified that it was Dominguez, in the presence of his legal counsel, who wanted to stay the police headquarters.


“We will present i t to him (Dominguez) and his legal counsel for them to review and sign,” he added, noting that they are still drafting the condition as of 1 p.m. Sunday.


Earlier, two persons in police custody in connection with the Evangelista case, tagged Dominguez and his brother Roger, as the brains behind the abduction and grisly killing of the 30-year-old car dealer.


Evangelista was abducted on January 13 in Quezon City during a test drive of the Land Cruiser he was selling. His burned cadaver was found the following day in Cabanatuan City.


Lawyer Joey Cruz, counsel for Dominguez, said his client decided to surface to shed light and clear his name after he and his brother, Roger, were linked to the series of murder cases that took place after he was granted bail and assumed temporary liberty last Dec. 29, 2010 for a carnapping case.


9 charged with carnapping, murder of Evangelista Alfred Mendiola and Ferdinand Parulan, alias “Batibot,” the two other suspects in police custody since Friday, were subject to marathon inquest proceedings at the Quezon City Prosecutors Office late Saturday night.


Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said they were charged with murder and carnapping.


Named co-accused in the case were Raymond Dominguez; his brother Roger Dominguez, alias “Ogie;” an alias “Jayson;” a certain “Joel,” who allegedly posed as a mechanic; one “Rolly;” and two John Does.


Mantele told newsmen similar raps were filed against the suspects who remained at large after Quezon City Assistant Prosecutor Solivan Usman established conspiracy in the crime committed against Evangelista.


Police are eyeing the involvement of the same set of suspects in the killings of Lozano and Sencil, noting the similarity of the incident. All three victims were abducted, shot in the head, their bodies burned before they were dumped.


Mantele said the kidnapping charge was dropped against the suspects since it was “dissolved by the murder raps’’ as there was a premeditated plan to kill Evangelista.


He said the filing of murder and kidnapping raps against the nine suspects is only an initial disposition of Usman that is subjected to the approval of Deputy State Prosecutor and officer-in-charge (OIC) Quezon City Chief Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon.


Mantele stressed that the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office may either uphold or change the initial disposition of Usman against the nine murder and carnapping suspects.


Murder is a non-bailable case while carnapping suspects can post bail of P180, 000 for their temporary freedom.


3 Evangelista witnesses surface Before Mendiola and Parulan were brought to the fourth floor of the Quezon City Hall of Justice where the Quezon City Prosecutors Office is located three men with their faces covered shied away from the media and rushed to Usman’s office with police escorts in tow.


The three men who media men earlier mistaken to be the suspects were identified by their QCPD police escorts as witnesses in the Evangelista case.


As the cameras of the newsmen clicked, the three tried to cover their faces even more prompting the security personnel of the Quezon City Hall of Justice to put a barricade to distance them from the throngs of TV, radio and print reporters.


The victim’s father Arsenio Evangelista and wife Mary Grace, Mantele, Superintendent Antonio Yarra and other police officers and investigators arrived around 8:30 p.m. and joined the witnesses at Usman’s office.


At 10:10 p.m., Mendiola and Parulan with police escorts armed with long rifles led by Superintendent Manuel Lucban Region 3 Investigation and Detection Management chief arrived at Usman’s office from Pampanga.


Earlier, Atty. Noel Quioc, the lawyer of Mendiola, said they were surprised with the sudden decision to inquest his client in Quezon City.


Chief Supt. Alan L.M. Purisima, PRO3 director, assured that Mendiola and Parulan are not “fall guys.”


“They know that we are closing in on them, that’s why they were forced to surrender,” said Purisima, adding that the two were allegedly new in the syndicate and had been moved by their conscience to confess.


He said Mendiola confessed he was the “transvestite” who posed as a buyer by the name of “Allan Torres” when he asked Evangelista to test drive the Land Cruiser last January 13.


Parulan, on the other hand, confessed that he had in his possession Evangelista’s valuables, Purisima said.


Mendiola’s confession Superintendent Antonio Yarra, QCPD chief for the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), said that an alias “Jojo” helper of the Evangelistas at their car shop on Scout Catolos, Barangay Pinagkaisahan, opened the gate for Mendiola who identified himself as “Allan Torres” on the day that Venson was abducted.


Mendiola disguised as Torres inquired about the black Land Cruiser being sold by the car dealer victim.


Another police officer who requested anonymity said that alias Jomar a neighborhood friend of the victim saw Mendiola talking with Venson Evangelista on that fateful day while a certain Angelo witnessed that the Toyota Land Cruiser was being followed by a green Pajero near the car shop at about 4 p.m. during the test drive.


The police officer said that Angelo saw a man pointing a gun at Evangelista who was then driving the Land Cruiser while another man alighted from the green Pajero went to the other vehicle’s driver seat where he also pointed his gun at the victim.


After the man who alighted from the green Pajero took over the steering wheel of the Land Cruiser both vehicles immediately sped off from the scene.


Another police officer said that Mendiola and Parulan being new members of the group decided to surrender to police authorities for fear of being salvaged by the alleged dreaded carnapping syndicate.


Yarra said that despite Mendiola’s and Parulan’s confession and surrender to proper authorities, they remain as suspects in the Evangelista killing and carnapping case that is why they were subjected to inquest proceedings.


Mendiola and Parulan were later placed under the custody of the Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 3 after their inquest proceedings at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.


Bulacan PD relieved Senior Superintendent Fernando Villanueva, director of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office, was relieved of his post but ranking police officials are mum on the reasons why he was replaced.


Purisima confirmed that Villanueva was administratively relieved and replaced by Rosario.


When asked if the relief was connected to the murders, Purisima said:


“We are investigating something.” Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), offered a little more detail: “The PD (provincial director) of Bulacan was administratively relieved pending investigations being conducted on several high-profile criminal incidents during his watch.”


Meanwhile, Rosario said the Bulacan PPO assumes that Dominguez will stay under police custody until such time that any arrest warrant would be issued against him in connection with the Evangelista, Lozano and Sencil cases.


Asked to comment on the decision of Dominguez to be inside the camp, Rosario said: “Well, we thank him for trusting us. But beyond that, I cannot comment anymore because our main concern is his security while he is inside our camp.”


Rosario also stressed that placing Dominguez under their custody does not mean anything, explaining that any civilian who want to be placed under custody is open to proceed to their camp.


“It is our responsibility to ensure the security of any civilian who feels his life is at risk. With regard to his case, I think there is also a good side to it, on our part, because we will no longer look for him when the time comes that the police need him,” said Rosario.


Dominguez was taken to Camp Alejo Santos in Malolos City past 9 p.m. by a police car of the Calumpit Police Station that fetched him from his house in Barangay Iba-Este, Calumpit.


Raymond’s brother Roger alias “Ogie”, said to be the owner of the apartment raided by joint elements of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the PNP Regional Office 3 last Friday night in San Fernando City, Pampanga, was not around when Raymond surrendered to the Bulacan police.


Rosario said they have no information, so far, on whether or not Roger will also yield.