DOJ indicts Bar blast suspect

Manila, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) approved yesterday the indictment of the primary suspect in a grenade attack wounded around 50 persons and marred the conclusion of the Bar exams in September last year.

The DOJ ordered Anthony Nepomuceno charged with multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder and illegal possession of explosive, based on the results of a preliminary investigation conducted by Prosecutor Gerard Gaerlan.

In a 14-page resolution released yesterday, Gaerlan cited “identification by witnesses” as the main basis for finding probable cause in the case against Nepomuceno, who belongs to the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity.

“The inter-connection between the statements given by the witnesses is enough to engender a well-founded belief that the person who lobbed the hand grenade, which exploded that day, is the respondent (Nepomuceno),” he said.

The DOJ cited the testimonies of witnesses Larina Lacap, who claimed she saw Nepomuceno lob the grenade into the crowd holding the traditional “salubong” in the Bar exams, and Maj. Jose del Rosario III, Finian Dominic Osea and Aaron Ano­nuevo, who intercepted and beat up the suspect while he was trying to run from the scene.

Apart from the identification of eyewitnesses, Gaerlan also cited the weakness of Nepomuceno’s denial and alibi – that he was not at the site when the grenade attack took place.

“Respondent’s presentation of sworn affidavits given by his witnesses failed to contravene the positive identification of witnesses for the complainants,” he said.

Gaerlan said Nepomuceno’s witnesses gave self-serving statements since most of them were either members of his family, friends or fraternity brothers and sisters.

Nepomuceno, who was tagged by the National Bureau of Investigation in the incident, submitted to the DOJ a photocopy of a receipt by an ATM machine in Baranka, Marikina City, where he said he was two hours after the explosion on Taft Avenue in Manila occurred.

But the DOJ fiscal said the respondent failed to prove that he was the owner of the ATM account.

No other person was ordered indicted by the DOJ in the Bar blast, widely believed to have been caused by conflicts among fraternities.

Law student Raissa Laurel, who lost both her legs in the explosion, welcomed DOJ’s resolution of the charges against Nepomuceno.