Delivering his testimony on the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Ellah Joy Pique proved too much for witness Richard Ian Bansuan.
Bansuan, who is said to be suffering from asthma, recounted to Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Esther Veloso of Branch 6 how he allegedly saw Bella Ruby Santos and her British partner Ian Charles Griffiths dispose of Pique’s remains.
Constantly rubbing the sweat of his face with a towel, Bansuan answered questions with the help of an interpreter who translated the questions in Cebuano for him.
Undergoing a 30-minute-cross examination didn’t sit well with Bansuan, whose labored breathing prompted prosecution lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to ask for a recess.
Bansuan was rushed to a nearby hospital for confinement. The hearing was attended by supporters of both the victim and the accused, who stayed in the Palace of Justice lobby during the recess.
Bella’s lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said he wasn’t convinced with what happened and called Bansuan as “artistahin” (overacting).
“Even in the direct examination alone, we could see that his story has no meat,” he said.
Ellah Joy’s father Reynante Pique defended Bansuan saying he recently talked to the parents who said their son suffered from asthma.
“That is why he always brings an inhaler. He’s been an asthmatic for a long time,” he said.
In his account, Bansuan said he was headed to Dumanjug town at 11:45 p.m. after attending a friend’s birthday party in barangay Mantayupan, Barili, Feb. 8, last year when he saw a Pajero at the curb of the road.
He said he slowly pulled over his motorcycle meters away from the Pajero and saw a girl in the front seat of the vehicle together with a foreigner.
Bansuan said he recognized Santos and Griffiths due to the vehicle’s lighting.
He said Griffiths even saw him nearby while he observed the vehicle 50 meters away.
Bansuan said he saw Griffiths walk to the back of the Pajero and lift a sack and throw it over the cliff. The next hearing is on June 11. /Peter L. Romanillos, Correspondent