The suspected middleman who was allegedly tapped to hire the killers of Ramgen Bautista, aka Ram Revilla, surfaced Friday at the Parañaque City Prosecutor’s Office to deny any involvement in the October 28 murder.
Accompanied by lawyer Melinda Salcedo, a team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and members of his family, Ryan Pastera submitted his counter-affidavit to Assistant City Prosecutor Leah Roma during Friday’s preliminary investigation.
Pastera stayed at Roma’s office for less than half an hour before leaving hurriedly to avoid members of the media.
It was learned that Pastera on Friday sought protection from the NBI to ensure his safety during the preliminary investigation that would determine his possible inclusion among the accused in the killing of Bautista and the attempted murder of the former’s girlfriend, Janelle Manahan.
The continuation of the preliminary investigation was scheduled on December 13.
In his counter-affidavit, Pastera denied knowing suspects Roy Francis Tolisora and Michael Jay Nartea, as well as witness Ruel Puzon.
He claimed that he only knew their names from media reports and copies of their sworn statements, which tagged him as the alleged middleman designated by the brains behind the slay to hire the killers.
Tolisora and Nartea were identified as the suspected hired guns, who allegedly backed out from carrying out the killing and are Ramon Joseph Bautista’s coaccused in the cases of murder and frustrated murder filed in a Parañaque City regional trial court.
Puzon was another alleged hired gun reportedly contracted by Pastera.
Parañaque City police head investigator and Task Force Ramgen member Chief Inspector Enrique Sy told the Inquirer that Pastera’s counter-affidavit consisted mostly of a complete denial of his alleged participation in the killing.
“He (Pastera) basically denied everything mentioned about him in the sworn statements of Tolisora, Nartea and Puzon,” said Sy.
He likewise cited a denial of the sworn statement of Glaiza Visda, another suspect, where Pastera was also tagged as the middleman.
Asked if the police have started looking into the alleged involvement of Ramgen’s other siblings to the October 28 murder, Sy said that the alleged link of the victim’s older sister, Gail, was only part of the allegations of the suspects in their counter-affidavits.
He pointed out that although they have obtained a transcript of an angry exchange of text messages between the siblings before the killing, it would only qualify as a motive but provides insufficient proof that she had a hand in the murder.