Manahan no-show at Ramgen case hearing
MANILA, Philippines—Janelle Manahan was a no-show in Tuesday’s continuation of the hearing on the Ramgen Bautista murder case.
Manahan was supposed to continue the testimony she gave last Oct. 23, in relation to the bail petition of primary suspect Ramon Joseph “RJ” Bautista, Bautista’s younger brother.
RJ, sister Maria Ramona, and five alleged hired guns are facing murder and frustrated murder charges for the shooting and stabbing death of Bautista, and the wounding of Manahan, at the Bautistas’ house in BF Homes Subdivision, Parañaque City on Oct. 28, 2011.
The case is being heard at the Parañaque Regional Trial Court Branch 274 under judge Fortunito Madrona.
But on Tuesday, “Janelle had to attend a mandatory live-in seminar as condition for her continued employment with a real estate company,” Manahan’s lawyer Argee Guevarra said, in a text message.
Guevarra explained Manahan was recently hired by the real estate company as a manager.
Last month, Manahan took the witness stand in the case hearing for the first time, narrating the assault on her boyfriend, Bautista and herself. She recalled that she, Ramona and Bautista were in Bautista’s room, when a masked man had barged in and shot her in the face.
Although vague on the details that followed, Manahan said Ramgen and the attacker ended up outside the room, with a bloodied Ramgen coming back in and asking a panicking Ramona to lock the door.
Ramona had told Manahan she would go out to call for help, but did not return.
An emotional Manahan said she managed to text friends and family for help after the attack, and was soon rescued by police.
She recalled that when she and Bautista were brought to the hospital, he was still opening his eyes whenever she called his name.
She said that when Bautista’s siblings visited her, they informed her Ramona was kidnapped by Bautista’s assailants. Ramona later admitted in a video statement that this was a lie, before she fled abroad.
Manahan, who had lived with Bautista for five years before the murder, described that the family “was having problems.” She alleged Bautista was a disciplinarian with a tendency to “get physical” or to punch his siblings whenever he got mad.
Police investigators alleged the siblings masterminded their brother’s murder over a financial feud. Bautista was the eldest of nine children of former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. and former actress Genelyn Magsaysay. (Actor Revilla Sr.’s birth name was Bautista but as he was ascending in politics, he decided to adopt his movie screen name, Ramon Revilla, as his official name, a move that was followed by his son and namesake, now Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. His other children retained the surname Bautista.)
Branch 274 court staff said the next scheduled hearing is on Nov. 20.
Meanwhile, accused Glaiza Visda, who was alleged to have conspired in an assassination attempt on Bautista, also filed on Tuesday a motion asking for additional protection at the Parañaque city jail.
The request comes after Visda’s co-accused, ex-boyfriend Norwin de la Cruz, wrote Visda two notes last month telling her not to talk “because our opponents are influential,” recalled Visda’s lawyer, Claire Castro.
“He told her their opponents can do anything, so she shouldn’t talk for her and her family’s sake,” Castro said, loosely quoting the letters.
“The letters prove a threat, so we are asking for additional protection for [Visda] from the jail warden or any assigned officers,” Castro said, in a phone interview.
Castro said she had included in the motion copies of De la Cruz’s letters, as well as a letter Visda received from co-accused Francis Tolisora. Tolisora, in his letter, talked about RJ’s, De la Cruz’s, and co-accused Ryan Pastera’s plans to request transfer to a Bicutan jail.
