By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – A human rights group here is mulling kidnapping charges against the National Bureau of Investigation for the alleged abduction of three members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade whom they claimed are just “fall guys” in the ambush-slay case of Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles.

This was revealed by Alan Guzon, vice chairman of the Negros Alliance for Human Rights Advocate, in a press conference at the Negros Press Club with the kin of the three who claimed they were tortured into admitting the crime.

The three are Jessie Daguia, Alejandro Capunong and Eddie Fortunado who are  presently with the National Bureau of Investigation and are facing murder charges filed by the NBI with the Department of Justice for murder of Arles.

The three were implicated in the crime with Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez tagged by the NBI as the mastermind.

With Guzon in the press conference were Nestor Daguia, Ofelia Daguia Anlap, brother and sister of Jessie, Joan Capunong and Jenelyn Capunong, wife and mother, respectively, of  Alejandro, and Tessie Fortunado, wife of  Eddie.

He added their lawyer is also mulling to file a writ of Amparo in court to oblige the NBI to present the three here and not in Manila.

“We are asking that they should be afforded the due process,” he added.

Gozon said the three were picked up in three separate places: Eddie in Himamaylan City last June 27, Jessie at the Bacolod Pavilion and Alejandro at the Ceres Terminal last June 22.

Based on Jessie’s statements relayed by his wife, the three of  them were brought to NBI Bacolod where they were reportedly tortured and forced to sign an affidavit pinpointing Alvarez as the mastermind. They were then brought to NBI Manila  where they are presently detained.

The three were initially charged with illegal possession of firearms prior to the filing of the murder charge with the DOJ.

Arles’ family urged to discover the real culprits

Joan, wife of Alejandro who is pregnant said she does not believe her husband is capable of the crime being acused of him.

She appealed to the Arles family to discover who the real culprits are.

Joan recalled that her husband last June 22 told  her that he was going then to Bacolod to look for money to pay the mortgage on the motorcycle they are using in selling fish which is their source of livelihood.

Her husband left her with P30.

She claimed that since April 2, until the time her husband left to look for money, he was with her and there was no way at all that her husband participated in the killing of Arles.

She added that Alejandro will no longer look for money to pay for their motorcycle if he received a pay-off.

She added that in  their four years of marriage her husband feeds them through honest means.

Since June 22 she never heard anything from her husband until she learned of the news of his being implicated in the killing of Arles.

“Tani  ila tukibon ang kamatooran kon sin-o ang matuod nga nag himo sang sala, kay wala ko nagapati nga mahimo na sang bana ko,” Joan told reporters here.

She added that “ nagapati ako nga indi na mahimo sang bana ko ang magpatay para lang makakaon kami.”

Letter to CHR

A letter porpurtedly from Jessie and Alejandro was also presented to the media during the press conference

The letter was sent by Daguia’s niece who visited them at the NBI detention cell in Manila.

Guzon said that letter was supposedly addressed to the Commision on Human Rights and is asking the help of the said agency as they claimed they were being pinpointed as the ones who killed Judge Arles.

The two in the letter denied anything to do with the murder of Arles.