CITY OF MALOLOS—Lawyer of Raymond and Roger Dominguez, alleged notorious leaders of a car jack group operating in Manila and Central Luzon who are being tagged today by police as the mastermind in the killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista said the suspects have yet to decide whether they will surrender or not.
Atty. Joey Cruz told NEWS CORE by phone Saturday he had last spoke with his clients on Friday night convincing them to voluntarily yield themselves to the authorities.
But, Cruz said Dominguez remain adamant on the idea of turning themselves in.
“During the last time na magkausap kami kagabi, ang sabi sa akin pag-iisipan pa nila. Ang sabi ko bilis-bilisan ang pag-iisip kasi lalabasan na kayo ng warrant of arrest,” Cruz said.
According to the lawyer, advising and convincing his clients to surrender to authorities is the right thing to do. “Their surrender will shed light on the investigation and one way to also openly give their side”.
Being an officer of the court, asking my client to turn themselves in to authorities is also the right thing for me to do, Cruz added.
He said he told his client they should stop making it hard to the police and authorities who are after them. “Ang sabi ko pa sa kanila huwag na nilang pahirapan pa ang mga pulis”.
However, Cruz said, he could not force his clients. “Ganunpaman, hindi ko sila mapipilit”.
“If they belied the accusations and the charges, harapin nila, prove their innocence. I even told them that it is but natural na kayo ang suspect kasi ang krimeng nangyayari na walang nahuhuli ay kapareho ng mga kaso nakasampa sa inyo”.
Earlier, Bulacan Provincial Warden, retired PAF Col. Pepito Plameno told NEWS CORE that there were fifteen cases of carjack with one homicide that were filed against Raymond.
Raymond, from Barangay Iba O’ Este in Calumpit town surrendered to Bulacan authorities in November 2010. He was able to post bail on Dec. 29 2010. Plamenco said he released Raymond afternoon of that day after completing the bailing out for the said charges.
But, Cruz said he do not know how much was the bail posted. He said Dominguez instructed someone else and not him as his lawyer to pay the necessary amount for the bail.
Cruz also said he do not know if the Dominguez brothers were the ones who posted the bail for Alfredo
Mendiola, a gay, who is a suspected accomplice to the killing of Evangelista based on the investigation of the police.
Mendiola according to the authorities handling the cases of spate of killings of car dealers in Central Luzon surrendered to them on Thursday.
Plamenco said Mendiola who was facing estafa charges was released on bail on Oct. 18, 2010.
Supt. Alfredo Ducay, chief of police of Hagonoy confirmed to NEWS CORE it was also Mendiola who served as an agent who approached a carjack victim Monica Atienza, a victim of car jack incident from Hagonoy town on January 12.
Ducay said the victim confirmed it to him when he went to her house on Thursday to verify if the said gay was the same gay who came to her house in Barangay Sto. Nino on Jan. 12 with other men and took away her Isuzu Altera with plate number ZHH-889.
PO3 Nino Yang, chief investigator at the Hagonoy police said four men came to the house of Atienza at about 1 pm that day and requested for a drive test of the vehicle.
Yang said Monica with her two young children, a boy and a girl ages 6 and 7 years old respectively and her more than 60 years old aunt went with the four men in the drive testing.
But, at around 4pm when they have yet to return home, Atienza’s sister identified as Ana Maria Santos, 34 from Barangay Sta. Monica also in Hagonoy already came to the town’s police station and reported the supposed ill car deal.
At about 7pm however, the police received a call from Santos informing them that her sister with her three companions were all alive and were dumped by the four men somewhere in a remoter grassy area in Victoria, Tarlac.
Atienza, Yang said told them the four men on board unknown service car tied her and her companions hands with packing tapes and their face and bodies have been covered by blanket to avoid familiarizing with the suspects before they were dumped in the said area and took away her being sold Altera vehicle.
The four managed to rode a tricycle where the driver kept them for safety at an Iglesia ni Cristo chapel near the area where the nervous victim managed to grab her cell phone and inform her sister of what happened.
Yang said Atienza posted her for sale vehicle in the internet where the carjack group possible have known she is selling the car.
Yang said according to PO2 Willie Tadeo, Hagonoy police who is investigating the case said Atienza and her children and aunt could not recall the faces of the carjack group who dealt with them as their faces and bodies have been covered.
Yang said the four victims remain in shock and trauma following the incident.
Senior Supt. Fernando Villanueva, Bulacan police director had ordered an intensified police visibility and checkpoint operations in all major and inner roads in Bulacan as part of the manhunt operation launched against Dominguez and other carjack suspects and to help deter possible next cases of carjack incidents.
However, Villanueva would not confirm to this reporter any operation on the house of Dominguez on Friday night.
But, sources from Calumpit town said authorities from Manila were on a watch near the house of Dominguez in Barangay Iba O’Este on Friday night.
Some TV reporters were also on stand by, sources said.
A fully armed number of police forces have been deployed along key areas in the Mac-Arthur highway, Maharlika Highway and even along the outskirt and inner roads in the province since after the series of murder whose bodies of dead victims were recovered in nearby province in Central Luzon last week and early this week.
Because of the Atienza carjack incident in Hagonoy town, Region 3 Police Director Chief Supt. Allan Purisima relieved Supt. Albert Nocon as Hagonoy town chief of police and was replaced by Supt. Aurelio Ducay, Villanueva said.
Villanueva said the call of the PNP to car dealers selling their vehicles in the internet is not to become too trusting to the supposed buyers and not to allow to drive test their vehicle with them or with out them because the vehicle can be taken away and carjack with them included.