Janelle Manahan takes witness stand

MANILA, Philippines -- For the first time, Janelle Manahan took the witness stand at the Paranaque Regional Trial Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder of her boyfriend, actor Ramgen Revilla.

Manahan is the fifth witness for the prosecution.

Under direct examination of Atty. Restituto Mendoza, Manahan narrated the events on October 28, 2011, when Revilla was killed inside his home in Parañaque.

Manahan broke into tears as she remembered how a gunman shot her on the face before shooting Revilla.

She also reiterated that Revilla's sister, Ramona Bautista, was also there and went out of the house to look for help.

However, it took a long time before Bautista returned. So Manahan said she decided to text someone to ask for help.

Manahan also narrated that Bautista siblings were always fighting, including an incident when Ramgen hit Ramona on her head with a gun.

Ramgen is the oldest of nine children of former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. with Genelyn Magsaysay, who has insisted that the squabbles between her children is not a possible motive for murder.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

RJ Bautista allowed to visit Ramgen's grave

MANILA, Philippines – The Parañaque City Regional Trial Court allowed Ramon Joseph "RJ" Bautista, one of the accused in the murder of his brother Ramgen Revilla, to visit the slain actor’s grave.

In a motion, Bautista’s legal counsel Jeffrey Hepte requested that Bautista be allowed to visit his brother’s grave on his first death anniversary.

Bautista was allowed to temporarily leave jail between 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on October 28.

Meanwhile, Claire Castro, the legal counsel of another accused Glaiza Visda, submitted an oral manifestation requesting for protection for her client.

This after Visda allegedly received letters from co-accused Norwin dela Cruz and Francis Tolisora threatening the lives of Visda’s relatives.

In relation to this, the court is set to subpoena the jail warden of Parañaque to appear in the next hearing. – from a report by Johnson Manabat, dzMM

source: abs-cbnnews.com

3 suspects in Ramgen slay plead not guilty

MANILA, Philippines -- Three of the nine suspects in the Ramgen Revilla murder case pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Monday morning, and Ramgen’s girlfriend Janelle Manahan sought the cancellation of the passport of suspect Ramona Bautista, who has fled abroad.

Glaiza Visda, Norwin dela Cruz, and Ryan Pastera pleaded not guilty to murder and frustrated murder at their arraignment at Branch 274 of the Paranaque Regional Trial Court.

Pastera, tagged as the one who contacted the gunman, surrendered last week to the National Bureau of Investigation, and asked the court on Monday that he be allowed to continue staying in NBI custody. The court rejected this motion, so Pastera’s lawyer requested in turn that at least he not be detained along with the other suspects now in jail.

Visda and Dela Cruz were accused of having been present when the murder was planned.

Meanwhile, Manahan, who survived serious head injuries and was virtually left for dead by the assailants of Ramgen after they stabbed and shot him, asked the court to order the revocation of the passport of Ramgen’s sibling Ramona, who fled to Turkey when it became clear she was going to be tagged a suspect.

Ramona is married to a Turkish businessman. She has reportedly fled on to another country, and sent feelers she would only return to face the charges against her if the Department of Justice acts on her petition for a review of the investigation.

She insisted she was not part of the plot to kill her older brother, even though witnesses said she had simply walked away while Ramgen and Janelle lay bleeding. She admitted she lied in saying earlier the assailants abducted her then left her in another place, but she explained she was so rattled and scared over what happened that she could not think clearly and thus left the scene of the crime.

Her younger sibling RJ Bautista is detained.
The pre-trial has been set on March1 for all of the accused.

source: interaksyon.com

Bong Revilla: Ramona's flight to HK is a 'sign of guilt'

An agitated Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. told a national TV audience Friday night that he was "as shocked as everyone" that his half-sister Ramona Bautista, 21, had taken a flight to Hong Kong as accusations swirled around her that she was involved in the murder of her older brother Ramgen.

"It's a sign of guilt," Bong Revilla told Saksi news anchor Vicky Morales. "Bakit siya aalis in the first place? Kung talagang wala siyang kasalanan, dapat harapin niya ito."

Revilla denied that Ramona was ever in his custody, and revealed that his half-sister's mother, Genelyn, had become angry at him for not stopping the police from arresting her son, RJ Bautista, another suspect in plotting the October 28 crime.

In a sworn statement, Ramgen’s stay-in personal assistant, Ronaldo Ancajas, said the victim and his two younger siblings implicated in the killing—Ramona and Ramon Joseph or RJ—had not been on speaking terms for the past months due to a disagreement over money.

“Ang alam ko ay matagal nang may tampuhan sila tungkol sa budget ng bahay, dahil si boss Ramgen ang humahawak at sinisiraan daw siya sa daddy nila, at mga ilang buwan din silang hindi nagkikibuan," Ancajas said in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by GMA News.





Bong Revilla, Ramgen, Ramona and RJ all share the same father, screen legend and former senator Ramon Revilla Sr., now nearly incapacitated due to illness. With his father inactive, Bong has assumed de facto leadership of the sprawling clan of some 72 children sired by his father. The slain Ramgen, 23, was an actor too and supposedly a favorite of the elder Revilla, 84.

Ramona was placed at the scene of the crime by Ramgen's girlfriend, Janelle Manahan, who told police that she pleaded with Ramona to call for help but she did not do so.

Ramgen's personal assistant stated in an affidavit to the police that he spotted Ramona and RJ exiting the subdivision on foot after the crime as if nothing had happened.

Ramona later told the police that she was abducted by Ramgen's killers and was driven around before being let down outside a Las Piñas mall. Ramona in an interview with ANC on Friday retracted the abduction story and said that she was too shocked to respond to Janelle's plea for help.

Bong Revilla said that Ramona had told him the same abduction story during the last conversation they had in a Las Piñas police station. He revealed that his entire family was shocked to learn of Ramona's retraction, followed by her sudden flight to Hong Kong.

"Nalulungkot kami. Dapat hinarap niya ito. Pero (long pause) wala. Ano pang iisipin ng lahat ng tao? Ano pang iisipin ng buong pamilya sa ginawa niya?" Revilla said. "Namatay kapatid naming si Ramgen, dapat panagutan. Kung sino mang may sala dapat makulong."

Revilla's tone was one of resignation mixed with grief, much different from his combative public statement emailed to media on Tuesday expressing disbelief that anyone in his family was a suspect. Rumors abounded that Revilla would use his considerable influence to protect his siblings from prosecution.

By Friday, with the corroborating testimony of at least three witnesses, and Ramona's flight out of the country, Revilla seemed to have come to the same conclusion as many fixated followers of the unfolding family drama. - Howie Severino/TJD, GMA News


Source: gmanews.tv