JESUS CHRIST IS ONLY A MAN! This out of this world doctrine comes from the Iglesia ni Cristo church who is known for it's massacre of five PUP Catholic students because of an argument over a simple basketball game! You can look it up on the internet, here's a link:http://www.supremecourt.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2000/aug2000/127803.htm
Supreme Court Reports Annotated Volume 339, August 28,2000, The People Vs. Abella==
DECISION
DAVIDE, JR., C.J.:
It all started with an altercation during a basketball game. Three days later, or on 10 March 1992, the bodies of MARLON[1] Ronquillo; JOSEPH Ronquillo; ERWIN Lojero; ANDRES Lojero, Jr.; and FELIX Tamayo were fished out of the murky waters of the Pasig River, filthy, bloated, putrid, and decomposing. Postmortem examinations on the cadavers showed signs of foul play.
MARLON’s hands were tied at the back with a black electric cord. He had lacerated wounds, contusions, ligature marks and hematoma. He died from a gunshot wound on the head.[2]
ANDRES’ hands were bound at the back with a plastic flat rope with four loops. His genitals were cut off; and he had ligature marks, contusions, and hematoma. The cause of his death was “asphyxia by strangulation; hemorrhage, intracranial, traumatic.”[3]
JOSEPH’s hands were “hog-tied at the back using a basketball T-shirt.” He also had ligature marks, contusions, lacerated wounds and fracture. He died of “asphyxia by strangulation; hemorrhage, intracranial, traumatic with skull fracture.”[4]
ERWIN’s body showed abrasions and burns. There were cord impressions on his wrists and depressed fracture on his head and at the base of his skull. He died of “asphyxia by drowning with blunt head injury.”[5]
FELIX had abrasions on the left cheek and tie impressions on the wrists. The cause of his death was “asphyxia by drowning.”[6]
On 18 March 1992, five informations for murder were filed before the Regional Trial Court of Manila (hereafter the trial court) against Juanito ABELLA, Diosdado GRANADA, Benjamin DE GUZMAN, Edgardo VALENCIA, Renato Dante, and Virgilio de Guzman. The cases were raffled to Branch 52 presided over by the late Judge David Nitafan. Docketed as Criminal Cases Nos. 92-104529 to -33, the informations[7] identically read as follows:
That on or about March 8, 1992, in the City of Manila, Philippines, the said accused, conspiring and confederating together with others whose true names, real identities and present whereabouts are still unknown and helping one another, did then and there wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously, with intent to kill and with treachery and evident premeditation, attack, assault and use personal violence upon one Marlon Ronquillo y Alepda [(Criminal Case No. 92-104529), one Felix Tamayo y Pascual (Criminal Case No. 92-104530), one Andres Lojero, Jr. y Pascual (Criminal Case No. 92-104531), one Joseph Ronquillo y Alepda [(Criminal Case No. 92-104532), one Erwin Lojero y Pascual (Criminal Case No. 92-104533)] by then and there hitting his head with guns, kicking him, tying his hands, [neck and private organ (additional allegation in Criminal Case No. 92-104531)] and thereafter throwing his body into the river thereby inflicting upon the latter mortal wounds which were the direct and immediate cause of his death thereafter.
Contrary to law. [Enclosures supplied].
On 25 March 1992, the informations were amended to include three other accused, namely, Joselito Crespo, Bienvenido Dugay and Danilo Abarete.[8] Upon arraignment all the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. On 26 August 1992, Joselito Crespo, Renato Dante, Bienvenido Dugay, Danilo Abarete and Virgilio de Guzman were dropped from the information.[9]
The prosecution’s version of the events is as follows: In the morning of 7 March 1992, MARLON, JOSEPH, and an unidentified companion played three rounds of basketball against the team of JOEY de los Santos at the vicinity of Dalisay and Lakas Streets, Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila. The Ronquillos won the first two rounds; but the third round ended in a brawl, which the neighbors quickly pacified. JOEY later went back to Dalisay Street carrying two pillboxes. A certain Donald Ancheta saw him, took the pillboxes and turned them over to a policeman.[10]
On 8 March 1992, between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., JOEY and his brother GENER threw stones at the Ronquillos’ house, attracting the attention of neighbors, who forthwith ran after the brothers. JOEY and GENER were overtaken and mauled before they were released.[11]
Between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. of the same day, WILFREDO Lojero, a certain Daniel, and the victims were in front of the Ronquillos’ house in Lakas Street, trading stories while awaiting a certain Aling Flor.[12] JOSEPHINE del Rosario was then at the corner of Lakas Street on her way to a friend’s house when the victims called her and asked her about her mother, who was a barangay kagawad at Bacood. They told her that they were waiting for Aling Flor to report to her that JOEY and GENER threw stones at the Ronquillos’ house.[13] Later, EVELYN de la Cruz joined the group in the conversation.[14] The area was then illuminated by a streetlight at the corner of Damayan and Dalisay Streets about ten arms-length away.
Suddenly, a dirty white Ford Fiera without a plate number stopped in front of the group. There were about ten to thirteen people on board. Among them were JOEY and GENER, who looked out of the van and pointed at the victims. All the passengers except for JOEY and GENER alighted. Their faces were covered with black handkerchiefs, and they were armed. Someone shouted, “Pulis ito!” Another exclaimed, “Walang tatakbo!” FELIX ran but stopped when shots were fired; he was hit with a gun then dragged into the van. WILFREDO Lojero, however, managed to sneak into the Ronquillos’ house and was able to see everything. The other victims were boxed, kicked, and also hit with a gun and dragged into the van. Before the van sped away, one of the abductors warned JOSEPHINE, “Ikaw huwag kang maingay, wala kang nakita, wala kang narinig.”[15]
Meanwhile, at about 6:00 p.m. inside the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Sta. Ana compound in Bacood, ELENA Bernardo was waiting for Pastor Cesar Almedina to seek his advice regarding her son-in-law’s problem. Pastor Almedina asked her to wait, and she did so. She waited until 10:00 p.m. Suddenly the guard switched off the lights inside the compound. With only the MERALCO light illuminating the compound from outside, she saw a dirty white Ford Fiera loaded with passengers enter and park in front of the pastoral house near the path leading to the basement. JOEY, GENER, all the accused and the victims were inside the van. Four of the victims were made to alight from the van, while the fifth one lay on the floor of the vehicle as though dead. The victims were brought to the basement, which was at the back of the chapel and beneath the choir office. ELENA followed. Inside the basement the victims were continually mauled, whipped with a gun, and beaten with steel tubes, lead pipes and other blunt instruments. One of the victims was tied with wire. Filemon Garcia arrived with a blowtorch and also entered the basement. ELENA heard the victims beg for mercy. Unable to endure the sight she sat in front of the chapel and stayed for 30 minutes. Pastor Almedina arrived and told her that they would talk about her problem at another time. Afterwards the victims were herded back to the Fiera. They seemed almost dead.[16]
On 10 March 1992, at 8:45 a.m., the lifeless body of FELIX was found floating on the Pasig River near Beata-Tawiran in Pandacan. At 12:25 p.m., ERWIN’s body was retrieved from the same river at the back of the Sta. Ana market. At about the same time, the decomposing bodies of ANDRES, MARLON and JOSEPH were also fished out of the Pasig River near Lambingan Bridge.[17]
SPO3 Myrna Ricasa prepared the crime report and was part of the group that conducted the police line-up on 13 March 1992. Witnesses to the abduction identified the accused from among five line-ups. JOSEPHINE identified ABELLA as among the passengers of the Ford Fiera. EVELYN pointed to GRANADA; Roy Ronquillo and Noel Estorel, who were not presented as witnesses, identified DE GUZMAN and VALENCIA, respectively.[18]
Appellants advanced alibi as their defense. They all claim to have attended the panata at the Punta Sta. Ana chapel on 8 March 1992 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m., save for ABELLA whose attendance was excused. The panata is a religious practice of the INC held for seven consecutive days as preparation for the santa cena or holy supper. In 1992, the panata was held from 8 to 14 March 1992 and the santa cena, on 15 March 1992.[19] VALENCIA testified that after the panata on 8 March 1992, he went home to San Juan, Metro Manila; it was then about 11:00 p.m.[20] For his part, GRANADA claimed that after attending the panata, he left the Iglesia compound with Filemon and Marilou Garcia. The three arrived at the Garcia residence in Bacood, Sta. Mesa, at 11:00 p.m. Filemon and GRANADA had snacks and watched two movies on the video player. It was already past midnight when GRANADA went home.[21] GRANADA’s testimony was corroborated by both Filemon and Marilou.[22]
ABELLA was a member of the PNP highway patrol group assigned to Mobile Unit No. 13 in March of 1992. His tour of duty was from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. He was previously granted exemption from attending the panata. Together with PO3 Ferdinand Parolina, he patrolled Roxas Boulevard from the corner of T.M. Kalaw St. to the corner of Vito Cruz St. on 8 March 1992. ABELLA and Parolina parted ways at 10:15 p.m.[23] PO3 Parolina, who drove the mobile car, corroborated ABELLA’s testimony.[24]
According to former accused Bienvenido Tugay, on 11 March 1992 at 11:00 p.m., Major Joe Pring arrived at the Iglesia compound in Punta, Sta. Ana, with police officers, demanding entrance inside the premises. Since there was no order from his superior allowing outsiders to enter the compound, Tugay refused. Enraged, Pring asked for the names of Tugay’s companions. Tugay enumerated the names of appellants.[25]
The following day, appellants read their names in newspapers as among the perpetrators of the crime. Alarmed, they consulted the INC Central Office on what steps to take. Accompanied by Atty. Restituto Lazaro of the Iglesia’s legal department, appellants proceeded to see Gen. Diokno at the Western Police District Headquarters on 13 March 1992 “to clear their names.” Major Pring brought them to his office and hurriedly organized a police line-up. During the line-up Major Pring allegedly tapped all the accused on the shoulder as a signal to the prosecution witnesses for identifying them. Accordingly, appellants were identified.[26]
On 7 February 1995, after several instances where defense counsel questioned his orders and doubted his partiality, Judge Nitafan inhibited himself from further hearing the cases. The cases were re-raffled to Branch 35 presided over by Judge Ramon P. Makasiar, who penned the decision on 15 November 1996 convicting the accused.[27] The dispositive portion reads:
WHEREFORE, judgment is rendered pronouncing the four accused in these cases: JUANITO ABELLA y GARCIA, DIOSDADO GRANADA y SALCEDO, BENJAMIN DE GUZMAN y LABASAN, and EDGARDO VALENCIA y VILLANUEVA guilty beyond reasonable doubt of MURDER.
