Legal counsels for slain lawyer Manuelita “Mia” Mascarinas-Green bore gaping holes in the petition for review filed by one of the four main suspects before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The question of who were the killers of Atty. Mia was seemingly answered immediately after the shooting rampage staged by four gunmen who did not bother to cover their faces.

But two of the suspects claimed they were not present at the crime scene and were somewhere else during the shooting on February 15, 2017, at the corner of J.A. Clarin and Purok 2, Zamora St., Barangay Dao, Tagbilaran City.

HERE AND THERE

One of the alleged gunmen, Lloyd Lancer S. Gonzaga executed an affidavit asserted that he and his wife, Cresta Monica were in Davao City on the day of the murder of Atty. Mia.

Also, their vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner was loaded aboard the Lite Shipping Ro-Ro vessel at the Jagna port bound for Cagayan de Oro City, according to Gonzaga.

But the passenger and cargo manifest of M/V Lite Ferry 10 on February 14, 2015, did not show the names of Lloyd and Cresta Monica Gonzaga even as the cargo manifest on the same date also failed to show that a Toyota Fortuner was on board the vessel.

Gonzaga presented official receipt (OR) dated February 14, 2017, issued by Lite Shipping for the transportation of his Toyota Fortuner from Jagna, Bohol to Cagayan de Oro City.

Cresta Monica also claimed that she was with her husband on their way to Cagayan de Oro City but she could not present a passenger boat ticket as proof of her departure.

NOWHERE IN SIGHT

According to documents gathered by Atty. Mia’s counsels, the passenger manifest showed 221 passengers but the names of the Gonzaga did not appear while there were 11 units of various motor vehicles except for a Toyota Fortuner.

The non-appearance of Gonzaga and his wife in the passenger manifest, as well as the non-appearance of the Toyota Fortuner in the cargo manifest, means that Gonzaga may have paid the transport fees for the Toyota Fortuner but did not load his vehicle on board M/V Lite Ferry on February 14, 2017 from Jagna port to Cagayan de Oro City.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footages to bolster their claim as to their presence in their parent’s residence in Ladislawa Garden Village in Davao City was dismissed by the counsels of Atty. Mia as “susceptible to machinations”.

Gonzaga could have secured instead CCTV footages at the gate of the village as they entered the subdivision as well as footages in the ports of Jagna, Cagayan de Oro City, McDonald’s and the Shell Gasoline Station which are beyond their control, unlike that of their parent’s house, according to the victim’s counsels. 

Gonzaga is now detained at the Tagbilaran City Jail after his arrest in Davao City on June 30, 2017 by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 11 in a massive 5-month police manhunt. (Chito M. Visarra)