Don’t drag group into Ecleo controversy — PBMA official

With a police manhunt on for their “supreme master” Ruben Ecleo Jr., members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionary Association (PBMA) chapter in Nonoc, Talisay City chapter appealed to spare their organization.

“The issue involving our master is his own and is personal. It had nothing to do with the organization, said Leon “Boy” Famulagan, vice president of PBMA Nonoc, Talisay City chapter during a phone interview yesterday.

He said the Talisay chapter is one of seven in Cebu province that started in 1954. The PBMA claims to have 5,000 members in Cebu.

However, he said some members started leaving the group after Ecleo was charged with parricide for the killing of his wife, Alona, in 2002. Ecleo was convicted of parricide on April 13.

On the P150,000 bounty declared by the police, Famulagan said he and his chapter members would remain silent on the issue and would just wait for the outcome of the operations of authorities.

Famulagan said that he didn’t know where Ecleo was.

Eight policemen in Central Visayas are members of the PBMA.

Senior Supt. Mariano Natuel, chief of the Investigation and Detective ManagementBranch (IDMB), said they assured him that they wouldn’t intervene in any police operations against Ecleo.

Natuel said the eight, with ranks from inspector to chief inspector, kept their distance from the PBMA since the parricide hearings started.

They continued to keep their distance after Ecleo was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing of Alona.

Ecleo remains at large.

He is in the “AI list” of wanted persons by the Department of Justice.

Ecleo has until April 28 to surrender or his conviction on the parricide case would be deemed final and executory./Correspondent Gabriel C. Bonjoc with a report from Correspondent Chito O. Aragon