A vital witness in the parricide case against cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. is missing.
Private prosecutor Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco said she and her staff could not locate security guard Rodrigo Panelo, who has executed an affidavit claiming he saw Ecleo driving a red Toyota Corolla car by the guardhouse of the Forest Hills subdivision in Banawa, Cebu City on the night of Jan. 5, 2002.
The prosecution is trying to establish that Ecleo, supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA), with the help of his then bodyguard Juriven Padero, loaded the body of his wife Alona Bacolod-Ecleo in the trunk of his car on that night before dumping it in a ravine in Dalaguete town, southern Cebu.
"I could not say that his testimony is indispensable, but it is very important. He will add more connection to our circumstantial evidence against Ecleo," Yongco said.
Yongco said the witness reportedly told her that he was afraid to testify because he would be up against members of the PBMA.
The prosecutor said she last saw Panelo when the case was still being handled by Regional Trial Court Judge Generosa Labra.
Defense lawyer Giovanni Mata strongly denied Yongco’s insinuation that the defense has something to do with the disapperance of Panelo.
"That was uncalled for. Being an officer of the court, we do not need to threaten witnesses especially that their (prosecution) evidence is very weak. Why resort to threatening witnesses? We have nothing to do with his (Panelo) alleged disappearance," he said.
Yongco said the prosecution has even asked Judge Labra to issue a warrant of arrest so Panelo could be brought to court to testify, but the request was allegedly not acted on.
Yongco said Panelo’s testimony would corroborate those given by Josebil Bacolod, Alona’s brother, and Gloria Navaja to the court.
Josebil had claimed seeing Ecleo and Padero load a black garbage bag, similar to the one in which Alona was found stuffed, in Ecleo’s car on Jan. 5.
Both prosecution and defense agreed to hold two hearings in one week. The hearings will be held every other week.
Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Judge Ireneo Lee Gako Jr. requested the two parties to refrain from asking for a postponement of the hearings so they could resolve the matter soon.
They have already scheduled hearings of the case until the last week of November.