Janelle Manahan lawyers fear lapse in client’s protection program

Lawyers of Janelle Manahan on Friday sounded alarm bells after a copy of the appeal of accused Maria Ramona “Mara” Bautista’s indictment for the murder of Ramgen Bautista was delivered to Manahan’s hideout earlier this week.

Resty Mendoza and Gilberto Espinosa, counsels of Manahan, told Parañaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 Presiding Judge Fortunito Madrona of the incident during a hearing on the case on Friday.

“We were surprised how the counsel for Ramona Bautista, attorney [Jeffrey] Gepte, was able to find out Ms Manahan’s address when her whereabouts should be kept secret under the Witness Protection Program,” Mendoza said during the hearing.

Manahan survived an attack on her and her boyfriend Ramgen on Oct. 28 at the Bautista house in Parañaque City.

Speaking to reporters after the trial, Mendoza noted that under normal court procedures, legal pleadings should be sent to the offices of the counsels, not directly to the parties involved in the case.

“Our client is now afraid she might have to change her hideout because of this,” he said. “We are taking this seriously and are viewing it as a veiled threat. We have reported this to the managers of the witness protection program.”

After they raised the issue in open court, Judge Madrona told Gepte to send their pleadings directly to the offices of Manahan’s counsel in Pasig City. Gepte told the judge he would comply.

In a separate statement, Argee Guevarra, another counsel for Manahan, said that Janelle herself acknowledged receipt of a “thick envelope coming from Attorney Gepte” at her safe house.

She immediately informed her counsels and her parents about the delivery, fearing what the envelope contained, but realized that it was only Bautista’s pleading.

“The same petition, bearing the present safehouse of Ms Manahan, was copy furnished to all the accused in the murder which we fear may be a way of Ramona Bautista tipping off criminal elements who have ties with the other accused who, in turn, may plan to endanger the life of Ms Manahan,” Guevarra said.

Sought for comment, Gepte said in a telephone interview that he was only following a Department of Justice order which states that appeals to finding probable cause in a case should be sent directly to the address of the other parties in the case.

“I only sent Mara’s pleading to the address Manahan gave early on during the proceedings. We never knew she was using it as her safehouse,” Gepte said.

He downplayed the other lawyers’ claims that the move was meant to scare Manahan.