Arraignment of accused in Olalia slay set for Wednesday

MANILA, Philippines–The Antipolo Regional Trial Court has set the arraignment of one of the accused in the 1986 killing of a labor leader and his driver for Wednesday.

According to a one-page notice of hearing sent by the Office of the Clerk of Court Branch 98 to the lawyers of the complainants and private prosecutors, the reading of the murder charges against T/Sgt. Dennis Jabatan will be held in the sala of Judge Ma. Consejo Gengos-Ignalaga at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Jabatan, who was arrested on Oct. 24 in Taguig City, is one of 13 accused in the murder of Rolando Olalia, then the chair of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno, and his driver, Leonor Alay-ay.

Their mutilated bodies were found in Antipolo City in November 1986.

While a well-placed source at the Office of the Clerk of Court Branch 98 who refused to be identified said the court has already received a return of the warrant of arrest against Jabatan, he said that it had yet to receive a report from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Taguig on where the suspect was detained after his arrest indicating his transfer to the Rizal Provincial Jail.

Quoting information he received, Edre Olalia, one of the private prosecutors, said however that officials of the Rizal Provincial Jail had requested that Jabatan be detained at Camp Bicutan in Taguig instead.

Olalia said the management of the civilian facility had cited the lack of facilities in making the request.

Later sought for comment, the source at Branch 98 said, however, that the court had yet to receive such a request.

“Officially, (Jabatan) should be in the Rizal Provincial Jail,” the source said.

Jabatan’s two co-accused, retired military officers Desiderio Perez and Red Kapunan, are being held at the Rizal Provincial Police Office and the National Bureau of Investigation, respectively.