MANILA, Philippines – The son-in-law of former Quezon City Rep. Nanette Castelo-Daza pleaded not guilty on Monday to the charge that he killed her former boyfriend, Noel Orate Sr., inside her house in February.
The arraignment of Bulacan provincial board member Romeo Allan Robes on a homicide charge before Judge Luis Cenon Maceren of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 218 went ahead despite an appeal filed by Eduardo Bringas, the lawyer of the Orate family.
According to Bringas, Robes’ arraignment should have been postponed because of a pending petition for review filed by the Orates with the Department of Justice (DoJ).
Earlier, the DoJ released the findings of its preliminary investigation in which it upheld the homicide charge filed by the police against Robes.
Orates’ family, however, filed an appeal on Friday, saying that the suspect should have been charged with murder, considering that he shot their father five times at close range.
In opposing the Orates’ move to postpone the arraignment, Robes’ lawyer, Alfredo Villamor, said that the two parties agreed on April 10 that the court proceedings would continue “whether or not a DoJ resolution has been issued with regards to the motion for reinvestigation sought by the complainant.”
Robes, the husband of Councilor Jessica Castelo-Daza, daughter of the former solon, is out on bail after posting bail of P10,000.
Bringas, meanwhile, said that he would file a motion for reconsideration to ask the court to nullify the arraignment proceedings and the not guilty plea entered by the accused.
The court set the pretrial hearing of the case at 8:30 a.m. on May 29.