'APO can defend brod within bounds of law'

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said it was natural the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) would defend their fraternity brother Anthony Nepomuceno, principal suspect in the Sept. 26 grenade attack on this year’s Bar examinations in Manila.

As long as it is within the bounds of law and ethics, De Lima said there is nothing wrong with APO defending one of their own.

De Lima said it is the prerogative of APO to provide legal assistance to any of its members. “That is their prerogative if they feel they have to help their brod. That is their prerogative for as long as they do that within the bounds of law, and within the bounds of ethics,” De Lima said.

“I have nothing against it for as long as they (APO members) respect the processes of this office (Department of Justice) in the course of the conduct of the preliminary investigation,” she said.

De Lima also dismissed claims that the informants or witnesses were only after the reward to pin down Nepomuceno.

De Lima said the witnesses are actually not interested in the cash reward.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed charges of multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder against Nepomuceno before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.

Nepomuceno was tagged as the principal suspect that lobbed a grenade during the traditional “salubong,” a gathering of well-wishers and relatives greeting the Bar candidates after their grueling four-weekend examinations on Sept. 26.

More than 40 people were injured during the attack that occurred in front of De La Salle University along Taft Avenue in Manila.

The NBI said the charges stemmed from the testimony of several witnesses pointing to Nepomuceno as the person who threw the grenade.

Nepomuceno denied the allegations and claimed he was in Marikina buying a pair of shoes at the time the explosion took place in Manila.

Nepomuceno suggested rival fraternities might have planned to pin him down and also put the blame on APO.

Nepomuceno though admitted the possibility that his fraternity brothers in the APO might have carried out the attack.

His fraternity brothers had also claimed the issue started with rumors that APO was behind the attack.

Nepomuceno also claimed APO has no motive to start a fraternity war.

De Lima had ordered the NBI to dig deeper into the possibility that a fraternity war could have triggered the grenade attack.

De Lima said the NBI investigators earlier downplayed the possibility of a fraternity war to identify the suspect.

“As much as possible, the NBI said they want to downplay any frat angle because insofar as investigation is concerned, the NBI wants to know who the perpetrators are...they don’t want to be highlighting the frat angle, not even the frat war angle,” she said.

She admitted that in establishing the motive to identify the suspects, it becomes inevitable that a fraternity could have triggered the attack.

“For purposes of determining the motive, it might become inevitable that this could be frat war but that is still something that is being confirmed,” she explained.

De Lima said she wanted the NBI to dig deeper as it was possible that Nepomuceno could have been ordered to throw the grenade.

“Just like any investigation of this sort, it is important we go deeper and find out exactly if there are others, especially that Nepomuceno is denying that he (was) the guy (that threw the grenade), that he is professing his innocence,” she said.

De Lima added she would allow the prosecution panel to determine if there is probable cause against Nepomuceno.

“Now that it’s (multiple frustrated murder and attempted murder) filed with the DOJ, it will go through the usual process,” she said.

Sandy Araneta, Philippine Star