Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Not one of the 13 respondents showed up in the first hearing of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday–all of them accused of criminal negligence in the deaths of five people in an outdoor concert last year.
Five people died in May 21, 2016 during the Closeup Forever Summer Concert, allegedly due to illegal drugs overdose.
Only the kin of the victims attended the hearing at the DOJ–and waited in vain for officials of Unilever, including its former chairman and chief executive officer Rohit Jawa, and organizers Activations Advertising and Eventscape, to show up.
The lawyer of the respondents asked for an extension of the deadline for them submit their counter affidavit.
One of the victims’ lawyers, Ariel Radovan, said they will file a supplemental complaint before March 17.
“(The complainants and other lawyers are) thinking whether to amend the complaint to include other respondents kasi it is our position that there are other respondents who must be also included in the charges,” Radovan said.
They said the respondents are criminally liable on account of the “responsible officer doctrine” since they failed to stop the incident.
Bibiane Fontejon, mother of one of the victims, said she cannot bring herself to be happy despite the progress in the case, since it could not bring back her daughter’s life.
“Ang maganda naman po dahil ito na-finalize na ang kaso, pero sa amin po kahit ano ang mangyari wala na po ang anak namin,” she said.
