By Minka Klaudia Tiangco
Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors have sought to reinstate charges against a police informant, who tagged Kian Delos Santos as a drug runner before he was killed by three policemen in an alleged anti-illegal drugs operation.
Farewell, Kian – Hundreds of mourners take part in the funeral march, Saturday, for Kian delos Santos, the 17-year-old student who was shot dead in an anti-drug operation in Caloocan last week. (Reuters / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The prosecutors filed an ex-parte motion dated January 15 to restore murder and planting of evidence cases against Renato Loveraz, alias "Nonong."
Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Branch (RTC) 125 Judge Rodolfo Azucena Jr. ordered that the case against Loveraz be archived after he went missing while the policemen who murdered Delos Santos—Police Officers (PO) 1 Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz, and PO3 Arnel Oares—were on trial.
However, prosecutors recently found out that the police informant was detained at the Caloocan City Jail, and had a pending drug case at the Caloocan City RTC Branch 123.
According to a certificate of detention signed by Senior Jail Officer IV Chona Apuac-Seno, chief of the Caloocan City Jail Records, Loveraz was arrested by Cruz, one of the policemen tagged in the 17-year-old's killing, on August 17, 2017, a day after Delos Santos was murdered.
The court was notified that Loveraz had been in detention since September 13, 2017, along with co-accused Bernard Rivera, Cindy Cleofas, and Daniel Oreta.
Meanwhile, in a separate motion, DOJ prosecutors opposed the police officer's motion of appeal to reverse their conviction, and called their motion "bereft of merit."
In their motion of appeal, the three police officers claimed that the prosecution witnesses gave "contradicting statements." Pereda and Cruz also argued that Oares should be the only one convicted as he was the one who admitted shooting Delos Santos.
The prosecution said the inconsistencies that the police officers were referring to were only "trivial details," which made the narrative accounts of the witnesses more credible.
"Said inconsistencies on minor details are in fact badges of their truthfulness and candidness, and the fact that said witnesses were not coached or rehearsed," the motion read.
DOJ prosecutors further averred that Pereda and Cruz contributed to the killing of Delos Santos, and Oares' confession did not absolve the two of murder charges.
"The chain of events and their individual participations therein constitute a credible web of their contribution, indispensable cooperation, acquiescence and moral support to the evil plan to kill Kian Loyd," the motion read.
Oares, Pereda, and Cruz were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years of imprisonment, at the New Bilibid Prison on November 29, 2018.