[merged] ingat sa gitgitan at makipagduruan sa kalye.

[DLV]

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Lawyer in killings placed on BI watchlist

By JUN RAMIREZ

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan has placed on the Bureau of Immigration (BI) watchlist lawyer Manuel Hernandez Jr., who was accused of killing two people during a traffic altercation in Pasig last week, it was learned yesterday.

The watchlist order against Hernandez was issued last Oct. 5, the same day that the suspect was released from detention after the Pasig regional trial court (RTC) allowed him to post an P80,000-bail for his temporary liberty.
The order stemmed from a directive of Acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera to put Hernandez, who was charged with double homicide before the Pasig court, on the BI watchlist.
Libanan said the order would suffice to prevent Hernandez, who works at the legal department of the Pasig City Hall, from leaving the country while his case is being tried in court.
He added that the watchlist order was issued pending issuance by the Pasig RTC or the Department of Justice of a hold departure order against the accused.
Hernandez managed to post bail after his lawyers succeeded in convincing prosecutors to downgrade the charges against him from double murder to double homicide.
Earlier, Eastern Police District officials claimed that they have a strong case against Hernandez as several witnesses allegedly saw the latter shoot Edgardo Canizares, 49, and Katherine Palmero, 27, during a traffic altercation along Shaw Blvd. at 1:30 p.m. last Oct. 2.
It was learned that prosecutors downgraded the charges against the suspect due to alleged lack of treachery on the suspect’s part.
Witnesses alleged that the suspect shot the victims after he was yelled at and insulted by Canizares.
Police officials are also studying the possibility of charging Hernandez with the Commission on Elections gun ban.
Hernandez was arrested five hours after the shooting at his residence in Barangay Kapitolyo but the firearm he supposedly used in shooting the victims was not in his possession and remains missing.

The Manila Bulletin