Murder attempt on a Yanson-4

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

 

In the last March 17 narration of this attempt to kill Emily Yanson, Joemarie Langote, one of the witnesses and a complainant, said he saw the driver of the boom truck, Manuel Mancia holding a black bag. This fact was recorded in a photograph attached to the complaint. The black bag contained a firearm and several ammunitions according to Langote.

If this can be proven that indeed Mancia was carrying a firearm, then there is more to the attempt than just to ram down Emily. Was Mancia ordered to shoot Emily if he failed to “accidentally” smash her down? Was the boom truck incident only one of the means to perpetrate the criminal deed?

When Mancia was caught by the other employees, EVY directed Langote to look for the keys of the truck in Mancia’s possession. Langote made a body search looking for the keys. He also asked Mancia, where the keys were.

“Mancia replied that he has already thrown away the keys, but Langote continued with the body search but Mancia gave Langote the keys to his motorcycle while telling Langote that those were the keys to the truck. Langote realizing that Mancia gave him the wrong keys, continued to search Mancia’s person, until Langote found the keys of the truck inside the left pocket of Mancia’s pants.”

It was obvious Mancia could not have driven the boom truck without a key but who gave it to him? According to the complaint, Mancia was a radioman at the time of the incident and it is common procedure that even the authorized driver must turn over the keys of company vehicles to the proper custodian.

Thus it was common sense on the part of Langote to ask Mancia, “Sin-o gid ang nagsugo sa imo? (Who really ordered you)” referring to the attempted ramming down of Emily.

Mancia readily answered, “Noel de Ocampo”, one of the respondents. Torcelero confirmed Mancia’s statement pointing to De Ocampo.

Langote gave the keys of the boom truck to Emily, who in turn gave it to a driver. The driver boarded the boom truck and drove it to the entrance of the main office.

Emily Yanson endorsed Mancia to respondent P/ Lt. Fermin Pula (Pula), requesting that Mancia be detained and that appropriate charges against him be filed for nearly causing the death and injury to Complainants and several other VTI employees.

Langote then requested permission from Pula if he could join them in the filing of complaint against Mancia. Pula replied that there was no need as he has “his own people to accompany him.”

Now, why would a police officer present in the scene of a possible murder refuse the offer of a witness and instead say he has his own people? Were Pula’s “own people” also witnesses and credible considering Pula declared them his own people, thus under his control?

It is not shown in the joint complaint affidavit whether Pula’s “own people” were policemen, bystanders or allies of the camp blocking the Yanson 4 from their own property.

Was Pula aware of the planned ramming down Emily and her supporters and was there to insure that the deed is done and Mancia, the suspected perpetrator is protected?

“After about 15 minutes (more or less), a co-employee from VTI by the name of Ronnie Gudaca, informed Langote that he received a call from Mancia, requesting that the keys to the motorcycle of Mancia, which he earlier gave to Langote, be turned over to Gudaca. When Langote asked Gudaca as to where Mancia was, Gudaca replied that Mancia was at Sambok (Ceres Bus South Terminal).”

At that time, the rival group of Leo Rey Yanson was picketing outside the Sambok Terminal and Mancia had apparently been brought there.

Why was Mancia there when the right thing for Pula, a supposed police officer is to endorse the suspect to the police station for proper recording and in fact custody considering that Pula was present at the scene where a possible crime was committed? Sambok is not a police station.

The action of Pula raises the possibility of police involvement or at least the group of Pula in this attempted murder.

Continue tomorrow.