Philippines
Metro Manila
Police officer to file cyber libel rap vs suspect in killing of his wife, son
Police officer to file cyber libel rap vs suspect in killing of his wife, son
The husband of the slain policewoman, Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido, will file a cyber libel complaint against one of the suspects who tried to implicate him in the killing of his wife and son.
The police have not cleared Police Senior Master Sergeant John Mollenido,, 39, in the gruesome deaths of Diane Marie, 38, and their eight-year-old son, John Ysmael, both residents of Village Green in Barangay Lower Bicutan, Taguig.
John’s lawyer, Cristobal Rimando, said they will file a cyber libel complaint against Pia Katrina Panganiban, one of the suspects in the killings.
“At present, we are evaluating the filing of a cyberlibel case against Pia,” he said.
Rimando said they will file the complaint against Panganiban next week before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Parañaque.
Diane Marie and John Ysmael were last seen on Jan. 16 and were reported missing by John to the Taguig police on Jan. 19.
The mother and son were residents of Village Green in Barangay Lower Bicutan, Taguig.
Diane Marie’s body was found in Pulilan, Bulacan on Jan. 24 while John Ysmael’s body was discovered in Victoria, Tarlac on Jan. 29.
During a press conference on Feb. 3, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla identified the suspects in the killings as Pia Katrina, former policeman Christian Suarez Panganiban, Gl Valdemoro Dy Jr., and Maribel Suarez Panganiban.
He said Diane Marie and the Panganibans had a transaction for the sale of a vehicle amounting to P450,000.
He said Diane Marie was shot in the head while sitting by Christian at their house. John Ysmael’s head was covered with plastic and he died by strangulation.
Remulla said John is not yet off the hook and is under restrictive custody.
“Una, pinilit niya na macremate agad iyong asawa niya with yung clothes ha, yung clothes na namatay siya. E pulis siya, dapat alam niya iyon. Pangalawa, nung interview parang wala siyang remorse. Imagine mo anak mo namatay, ni hindi ka naiiyak. Wala kang…parang balewala sa kanya. So we are digging further into the possible angle na kasali yung asawa niya (First, he insisted that his wife be cremated immediately with the clothes, the clothes she died in. He's a police officer, he should know that. Second, during the interview, he seemed to have no remorse. Imagine your child dying, you didn't even cry. You didn't have...it seemed like he didn't care. So we are digging further into the possible angle that her husband was involved),” said Remulla.
In a statement, Rimando said, “We hereby express our appreciation to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for conducting a fair, impartial, and comprehensive investigation into the allegations against our client, Mr. John Mollenido. As publicly conveyed by DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the evidence gathered during the investigation does not establish that Mr. John Mollenido had any participation in the commission of the alleged offense.”
“The records fail to engender a well-founded belief that he committed any crime and do not provide a factual or legal basis to attribute liability to him. It is likewise noted that our client remains under restrictive custody, a measure imposed pursuant to procedural protocols and not as a determination of culpability,” he said.
About John’s reaction to the deaths, the lawyer said, “While our client's emotional condition in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy was observed, such reaction is a natural human response to profound grief and cannot, in law or reason, be considered evidence of guilt. Emotional distress does not substitute for proof of participation in the alleged offense.”
“In view of the foregoing, Mr. John Mollenido continues to enjoy the constitutional presumption of innocence. He reserves all rights under existing laws to seek appropriate legal remedies against those who have maliciously and without basis imputed wrongdoing upon him,” Rimando said.
