Slain mayor’s family rejects offer to meet child witness
DAGUPAN CITY—Members of the family of slain Infanta Mayor Ruperto Martinez have rejected the offer of a group to arrange a meeting between them and the teenager who has been accepted as a government witness.
In a statement, the family also questioned Akap Bata’s motives when it made the offer.
“Why is it only now when the case is about to be resolved that Akap Bata is suddenly offering to arrange a meeting between us and the alleged witness?” the family said.
Akap Bata is a nongovernment organization composed of volunteer community care teachers, according to its blog site.
The group has taken custody of the teenager, who claimed he overheard Gov. Amado Espino Jr., Pangasinan Rep. Jesus Celeste and the boy’s father plot the assassination of Martinez in a resort in Pangasinan. Martinez was an Espino ally.
The family members said they have no association with Akap Bata and the group has no obligation to initiate the filing of charges against Espino and Celeste on their behalf.
“So what gave them the personality to pick up the cudgels for us?” said the family. “Why did they take it upon themselves to file the case against Governor Espino and Congressman Celeste without consulting us or without at least the basic courtesy of informing us about the supposed testimony of a 16-year-old?” the family added.
“If it is true, as they claim, that they took custody of the child witness because he was allegedly abused by his own father, isn’t it highly suspicious that up to now they have not filed a case against the child’s father in order to protect the interest of the minor, which is supposed to be the main concern of Akap Bata?”
“Instead, they have actively pursued the obviously fabricated charges against Governor Espino and Congressman Celeste,” they said.
On Monday, Martinez’s sons, Marvin and Richard, held a press conference in Manila to air their support for Espino.
“Akap Bata should have consulted us first before going to the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and DOJ (Department of Justice) to file the complaint, as if they were the aggrieved party,” Richard said.
The Pangasinan police arrested two suspects two days after Martinez was shot dead on Dec. 15, 2012.
“Our quest for justice is being misled by politics. The death of our father has been exploited to promote the political agenda of some people,” said the Martinez siblings. Inquirer Northern Luzon
