Even if Ma. Ramona “Mara” Bautista fails to submit her counteraffidavit to the Parañaque City Prosecutor’s Office, the preliminary investigation scheduled for Friday will push through.
Assistant City Prosecutor Leah Roma is expected to decide whether there is probable cause to name Ramona as one of the suspects in the killing of her older brother, Ramgen Bautista, and the wounding of his girlfriend, Janelle Manahan, inside the Bautista house at BF Homes Parañaque on Oct. 28.
A witness and two suspects earlier tagged Ramona and her other brother, Ramon Joseph “RJ” Bautista, as the masterminds in the plot to kill Ramgen.
Bautista’s lawyer Dennis Manzanal told the Inquirer that he himself did not know if his client would be able to file her answer to the allegations against her.
“She is not here in the country. I do not know if she will be able to send me her affidavit,” he said.
He added that should Ramona fail to submit her sworn statement, he would leave it to the assistant city prosecutor to decide whether or not she should be included in the charge sheet.
RJ was arrested on Oct. 31 and subsequently charged with murder and frustrated murder. Ramona left for Hong Kong on Nov. 4. She took a connecting flight which took her to Turkey although she stayed for just a few hours in the country before leaving for an unknown destination.
Meanwhile, Parañaque City Police intelligence head, Chief Insp. Ferjen Torred, told the Inquirer that they would be submitting the real name of the man known only as Bryan to the city prosecutor’s office Friday so that he could be included as one of the accused in the Ramgen case.
Torred refused to divulge Bryan’s full name although he said that his identity had been confirmed by one of the witnesses as well as his participation in the plan to kill Ramgen.
“We cannot arrest him without a warrant,” Torred said, adding that the reason they were submitting Bryan’s real name to the assistant city prosecutor was to secure a warrant for his arrest.