Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) — The Department of Justice has dismissed the murder cases filed against three policemen over the killing of Quezon City Prosecutor Rogelio Velasco in 2018.
In a 36-page resolution dated May 8, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong said he found insufficient evidence to charge PO1 Jose Lunar Mercado, SPO2 Rodante Lalimarmo and PO3 Arthur Lucy with murder. He also cleared seven unnamed men and an unnamed woman who were implicated after they were seen at the closed-circuit television footage presented as evidence.
Velasco was shot dead on May 11 last year. He was driving along Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City when at least four unidentified gunmen fired at his vehicle. Velasco, who was then with his daughters, was declared dead upon arrival to the hospital.
The National Bureau of Investigation — the complainant along with Velasco’s daughter, Vanessa — said its investigation found that the victim and Mercardo had a heated exchange a day before the incident. This was supposedly over the illegal possession of firearms and drugs cases filed against the Mercardo’s brother, which are pending before Velasco’s office.
Velasco allegedly told Mercardo: “Goddamit, alam mo na pulis ka! Bakit pinabayaan mo ang kapatid mo na mag-drugs (You know you’re a police office. Why did you let your brother do drugs).”
The CCTV footage also showed the alleged movements of the policemen from a parking lot at the Quezon Memorial Circle to the area where Velasco was killed. Mercardo and Lalimarmo, along with other unidentified individuals, were allegedly on board the white vehicle of the gunmen. Lucy, meanwhile, was purportedly monitoring Velasco’s exit from the Quezon City hall where Velasco came from before he was killed. The accused had denied the allegations, saying they were somewhere else and do not know each other.
But aside from being “insufficient,” Ong said, some of the evidence presented by the complainants were “inadmissible, unbelievable, untrue and contradictory.” He also cited inconsistencies with the testimonies of the witnesses.
“Complainants should not rely on speculations and conjectures to support their case. Mere speculations and probabilities cannot substitute for proof required to establish the guilt of an accused beyond reasonable doubt,” Ong said.
