Police lacks evidence against Ducat, Carbonell

By Ronron
April 4, 2007

The Manila Police District (MPD) failed to present necessary pieces of evidence against accused hostage takers Armando Ducat, Jr. and Caezar Augusto Carbonell during Wednesday’s preliminary investigation at the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.

During the proceedings that was presided over by Assistant City Prosecutor Danilo Suarez, the MPD personnel failed to furnish the panel of prosecutors copies of the Certification from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on whether or not Ducat and Carbonell are exempted from the Comelec gunban, and Certification on whether or not the recovered grenades were capable of exploding.

Ducat and Carbonell’s lawyers insisted that the MPD should submit those documents since their client will base their counter-affidavits on the available evidence brought before them.

Ducat and Carbonell are facing charges of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms and explosives, in relation to the Comelec-imposed gunban.

A separate charge for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law was filed against them last Monday by the social welfare office, but the lawyers of the two opposed its consolidation to the two original charges, saying it will further delay the resolution of the first two cases, thereby prolonging the detention of the accused.

Suarez then ordered the MPD to submit the required documents before 5pm yesterday (Wednesday), otherwise, they will no longer have any other chance to do it. Carbonell's lawyer, William delos Santos, confirmed to Manila Shimbun later in the evening that the MPD complied with Suarez' directive.

Suarez set the next hearing on April 10 at 10am, during which Ducat and Carbonell will have to submit their counter-affidavits.

After that, the panel of prosecutors is expected to come out with a resolution whether to file the cases in court or dismiss them by April 13 at the earliest.

Ducat and Carbonell arrived at the Prosecutor’s Office located at the third level of the Manila City Hall at around 10 am, handcuffed to each other’s right hands.

They wore white shirts, bearing the prints “STOP CORRUPTION, FREE EDUCATION.”

Their families and supporters were around during the one-and-a-half hours proceedings to provide moral support.

In an interview after the hearing, Ducat told Manila Shimbun that he is fine even if he just underwent angioplasty about two weeks before he and Carbonell held hostage last March 28 the 26 pupils and three teachers from the Musmos Day Care Center that he built in Parola Compound in Manila City.

“I’m just wondering why (Manila City) Mayor (Lito) Atienza is very mad at me that he wanted me in jail. Why can’t he put behind bars his son-in-law (Miles Roces) who failed to accomplish anything within three years?” Ducat said in Filipino.

Roces is the incumbent Representative of the 3rd District of Manila City at the House of Representatives. He is married to Atienza’s daughter, Arlene Maile.

When Ducat and Carbonell held hostage his victims inside a tourist bus right in front of the Manila City Hall, he had aired his grievance against corruption in government and demanded the government’s assurance that the graduates of his pre-school will make it through college.

He also demanded that the families of his students get free housing from the government.

After speaking to the public, Ducat and Carbonell eventually released their victims and surrendered to the police.

The two are now detained at the MPD headquarters./DMS