CCTV operator denies mauling alleged shoplifter to death

CEBU, Philippines - One of the men who allegedly mauled suspected shoplifter Mario Alfie Ducayag to death at a shopping mall pleaded not guilty to the charge yesterday.

Jeffrey Aquino, operator of the closed circuit television camera at the mall, denied the accusations before Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Navarro.

Aquino’s lawyer, Salvador Solima, said they are confident the court will grant his client’s application for bail. Murder is a non-bailable offense but Solima said the prosecution’s evidence at this point in time is reportedly weak.

Ducayag’s sister, Marie Shantylle, disagrees but says requesting for bail is Aquino’s right.

“Definitely, we don’t agree. We are hoping the court will deny the application of Aquino,” she said.

Despite Aquino’s not guilty plea, Mari Shantylle said she and her mother, Fe Soledad, remain hopeful that the suspect will change his mind and ‘tell the truth’. She said Aquino and his co-accused, Mauricio Doblados Jr., reportedly pointed at each other for having allegedly mauled Ducayag to death over a year ago. 

Doblados, the former head of mall’s security, remains at large.

 â€œI am against on the decision of Aquino. I thought he regrets and he will tell the truth,” Mari Shantyelle said.

She also appealed to the police to arrest Doblados before the pre-trial conference of Aquino’s case on September 17. She said her family is coordinating closely with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

On the day he died, Ducayag was accused of stealing a pair of sandals and was brought to the mall’s security room for questioning and for verification if he indeed paid for the item.

 According to NBI’s investigation, Ducayag went unconscious an hour after he was brought to the security and when checked by a team of the Emergency Response Unit Foundation, he was no longer breathing.

 The NBI also said that the shoplifting allegation “is wanting” in Ducayag’s case. The bureau said considering the victim was still inside the establishment, the Standard Operating Procedure in arresting a suspect does not in any way apply to the victim.

 â€œIn arresting a suspect it must be continuously monitored by the security personnel who witnessed him stealing until the suspect steps out of the building,” the NBI has said.

 Aquino was arrested by the Fuente police by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Navarro on May 19. He was arrested at B. Rodriguez Street, Sambag II, in Cebu City. — (FREEMAN)