Bacolod lawyers seek Capitol assistance for Ecleo arrest

Prosecution lawyers are seeking the assistance of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for the arrest of cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr.

Lawyer Kit Enriquez said they are hoping the governor will also allocate funds as reward money to anyone who can give information that will lead to the arrest of Ecleo, who faces parricide charges for allegedly killing his wife, Alona, in 2002.

The Cebu provincial government earlier put up a reward money of P300,000 for the arrest of Bella Ruby Santos, one of two suspects in the murder of 6-year-old Ellah Joy Pique.

Santos was arrested after someone tipped off the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) about her presence inside a mall in Mandaluyong City last month.

In an interview, Enriquez said they already sent letters to the NBI and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to arrest Ecleo but they have not received any feedback.

In 2004, the court allowed Ecleo to post a P1-million bail so he could undergo treatment for his heart ailment.

Last April 6, the judge cancelled the bail after Ecleo failed to attend three hearings in a row.

An arrest warrant was also issued against Ecleo, now congressman of the lone district of Dinagat Islands in Surigao del Norte.

This after the Sandiganbayan found him guilty of overpricing construction supplies during his stint as mayor of San Jose town in Dinagat Island.

Ecleo is contesting the ruling before the Supreme Court.

“I strongly believe he (Ecleo) is just hiding in Dinagat Islands,” Enriquez said.

He said law enforcers seemed to be afraid of arresting Ecleo, supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA).

In 2002, around 20 members of the PBMA died in a shootout between them and the police who served the arrest warrant against Ecleo.

Judge Soliver Peras of RTC branch 10 is due to hand down his ruling on the parricide case on Dec. 16.

Lawyer Alfredo Sipalay said they are preparing for their memorandum that will help the court in deciding the case against Ecleo.

Enriquez also challenged Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte of the House of Representatives to completely remove Ecleo’s name from the list of congressmen.

“He (Ecleo) is supposed to be a lawmaker, not a lawbreaker. It’s about time for Congress to delete his name from the list,” Enriquez said.