Rodelas kin ask court to junk suspect’s motion vs murder case

THE QUEZON City police on Sunday presented four suspects in the abduction and killing of model Julie Ann ‘‘Jaja’’ Rodelas: (from left) Jaymar Waradji, Gelan Pasewilan, Fernando Quiambao and the victim’s friend Althea Altamirano. ANDREW TADALAN

MANILA, Philippines–The family of slain model Julie Ann Rodelas has asked a Quezon City court to deny the motion of one of the suspects to be dropped from the case, arguing the arrest, made four days after the murder, was legal.

Private prosecutor Pete Principe noted that Fernando Quiambao Jr. was arrested in a “hot pursuit operation” as a result of a continuing investigation of Rodelas’ murder on Nov. 6.

“There is no showing that the investigation was tainted with malice and that the police officers acted in bad faith,” the lawyer said in a comment submitted to Judge Caridad Walse-Lutero of Regional Trial Court Branch 223.

Quiambao, one of three charged for Rodelas’ murder, has earlier asked the court to quash the criminal indictment against him, claiming he and his girlfriend Althea Altamirano were illegally arrested in Pampanga last Nov. 10.

He claimed that he was arrested without a warrant four days after Rodelas’ death which was supposedly unlawful.

In his opposition, Principe pointed out that Quiambao’s arrest was valid and met the Revised Rules of Court provision on hot pursuit operations.

“Very clearly, the motion is baseless,” the private prosecutor said in arguing that the accused’s bid be denied for utter lack of merit.

Quiambao, Altamirano and Jaymar Waradji are accused of orchestrating the abduction and murder of Rodelas, 20, a part-time model whose bullet riddled body was dumped in Cubao on Nov. 6.

The three, who are detained at the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

The QCPD-CIDU arrested Quiambao and Altamirano in Apalit, Pampanga after establishing that it was Quiambao’s Misubishi Montero that was used in Rodelas’ abduction and murder.

Police investigators established that murder was motivated by Altamirano’s grudge against Rodelas, her colleague, who allegedly spread rumors about Altamirano’s two children.