DOJ: No petition for review on Rojas case yet

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

DEPARTMENT of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. has yet to receive the petition for review filed by the family of slain vice mayor Ramon Rojas of Ajuy, Iloilo.

Gonzalez said the petition has not been forwarded to his table since it was filed two months ago.

Gonzalez said he will order a review once it is endorsed to his office.

The Rojas family and the Ajuy police headed by Insp. Ariel Artillero filed the petition for review a month ago after the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutor’s Office junked the murder charges against businessman Vicente “Etik” Espinosa and Lindsey “Bebe” Buenavista.

Espinosa is the alleged mastermind of the assassination of vice mayor Rojas last May at the town proper of Ajuy.

Buenavista is believed to be the one who handled alleged gunmen Edgar Cordero and Dennis “Totong” Cartagena.

While Espinosa and Buenavista were exonerated of the charges, the prosecutor elevated the case against Cordero and Cartagena to the Regional Trial Court.

But the provincial prosecutor said Espinosa and Buenavista can be charged again if there is new evidence directly linking them to the assassination.

Cordero was shot to death in Butuan City early this month in what is believed to be a set up allegedly staged by Buenavista and a certain Jose Bahadi.

Cartagena survived the attacked and tagged Espinosa as the one who paid them to kill the vice mayor.

Cartagena is now detained at the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center amid heavy security.

Board member Jett Rojas, a cousin of the slain vice mayor, accompanied one of the children of vice mayor Rojas to the DOJ office to ask Gonzalez to speed up the resolution of the petition for review.

BM Rojas said they have been complaining of the slow development in the case despite the evidence against the accused.

He also hit the provincial prosecutor for dragging its feet on the murder of Neoyet Penepona where Espinosa was also implicated as the alleged mastermind.

“But with the arrest and testimony of Cartagena, we hope that the case will move on,” board member Rojas said.