Another Bacolod gets out of witness protection program

ANOTHER sibling of the slain Alona Bacolod was released from the government’s witness protection program.

Josebil Bacolod has decided to leave the Witness Protection Security and Benefit Program (WPSBP) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to attend to his sick brother, Ricky.

In an interview, Assisistant Regional Prosecutor Llena Ipong-Avila, WPSBP-7 program implementor, said they granted Josebil’s request.

Avila said the DOJ let go of Josebil last Aug. 1 but the agency promised to provide relocation assistance.

Avila said the amount will be determined by the DOJ.

She said there were no more threats to Josebil’s life.

The last time he received threats was in 2010 when the Bacolod siblings were purportedly asked by a cousin to drop the case they filed against Ruben Ecleo Jr., supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association.

The siblings were offered P4 million but they declined the bribe.

Aside from Josebil, the DOJ also let go of siblings Angelito, Ricky and Clea Bacolod as well as prosecution witness Gloria Navaja.

The DOJ ended their stay with the witness protection program since they finished testifying in court and threats to their lives “have been reduced to a minimum.”

During that time, Josebil was still being used by the prosecution as its rebuttal witness.

Two of their siblings, Ben and Evelyn, and parents, Rosalia and Elpedio, were shot dead at home in Mandaue City on June 19, 2002.

The killings were believed intended to scare off other family members from pursuing the case against Ecleo.

A PBMA member was the main suspect behind the killings, but no charges were filed since the suspect was later killed in a shoot-out with police.

Ecleo was accused of killing his wife Alona inside their residence in Guadalupe, Cebu City, on Jan. 5, 2002. REPORTER ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL