Ecleo verdict on Apr. 3

THE verdict on the decade-old parricide case against cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr. will be handed on April 3.

Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras of Branch 10 scheduled the promulgation of the case at 2 pm.

The promulgation has been reset twice since the judge needed time to go over 10 volumes of evidence against Ecleo.

Prosecution lawyer Alfredo Sipalay told reporters that they managed to present enough evidence to prove the guilt of Ecleo, supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA).

“We are hoping that Ecleo will be convicted. We have done our part. It’s for the judge to rule on the case,” said Sipalay, one of the private prosecutors in the case.

Ecleo , a former congressman, faces parricide charges for allegedly killing his wife, Alona, on Jan. 5, 2002.

In 2004, the court allowed  Ecleo  to post a P1-million bail so he could undergo treatment for his heart ailment. Judge Peras canceled the bail last year after Ecleo failed to attend three hearings in a row last year. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol