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Former Mayor Ramon “Monching” Pagdanganan of
Calumpit, Bulacan, was murdered by hired professional assassins at
around 8 p.m. May 4, 2008. He was attending a fiesta celebration in
Calizon, Calumpit.
“It was ostensibly the result
of a conspiracy among certain provincial and municipal officials, as
well as some from the judiciary and law enforcement agencies,”
claims former Bulacan Governor Roberto “Obet” Pagdanganan, the
victim’s brother. He sees politics behind the murder. And he
claims that it leads to former Bulacan Governor Josie de la Cruz and
her brother, Jonjon Mendoza, the incumbent governor. We tried to
contact Josie and Jonjon but couldn’t get a return call as of this
writing yesterday.
Obet says the conspirators wanted
to project Monching as a villain and to coddle Leonardo “Leo”
Paidozo, a former policeman who was charged before the Regional
Trial Court Branch 11, Malolos, Bulacan, with the crime of murder of
Dr. Norman Josue in Calumpit on May 4, 2006.
Although he was facing a non-bailable
high crime and in spite of standing warrant of arrest, Piadozo, Obet
says, has remained scot-free. In fact he even ran and won as
barangay captain in Sapang Bulak, DRT (Dońa Remedios Trinidad town)
during the barangay elections on October 29, 2007, reportedly with
strong support from Jon Jon Mendoza.
Leo Piadozo, Obet alleges,
quoting DRT residents, has become untouchable, boasting of powerful
connections. He allegedly maintains a private army and even engages
in illegal logging activities, asserts Obet.
Obet says this is the same Leo
Piadozo who came out on television in February 2007, just before the
local elections, to allege that Monching was the “mastermind” in
the killing of Dr. Josue. In return, Leo received reportedly, a huge
some o money and the assurance from powerful officials that he would
not go to jail.
Piadozo surrendered on December
4, 2007, and was arraigned on December 6, 2007. Immediately, the
office of the Provincial Prosecutor, through Prosecutor Antonio Buan
and private prosecutor Raymond Fortun, filed a motion to detain
Piadozo at the San Ildefonso Municipal jail instead of at the
Bulacan provincial jail, where it was alleged, he faced “serious
threats to his life.”
The same day (December 6, 2007),
Judge Basilio Gabo Jr. issued an order for accused Piadozo to be
detained at the San Ildefonso municipal jail. The mystery of how
“the San Ildefonso jail could be safer than the Provincial Jail”
was quickly revealed. It was just a ploy to keep Piadozo free,
insists Obet. Piadozo has never spent a single minute in jail.
When Monching learned about this
anomalous arrangement, he filed an administrative complaint against
Judge Gabo with the Supreme Court, alleging: 1. Gross abuse of
authority and judicial discretion; 2. Gross ignorance of the law;
and 3. Gross violation of law and procedures.
The Supreme Court, through OIC
Court Administrator Jose Perez, took action on March 18. Faced with
possible dismissal and even disbarment, Judge Gabo took a series of
actions, which were explained in his letter dated April 8, 2008.
Meanwhile, a certain P/CI Puapo
was assigned in Angat, Bulacan. P/Supt. Marcos Rivero became police
chief in San Ildefonso on January 8, 2008. When asked by the court
to explain why Piadozo was not being detained, Rivero could only
claim that P/CI Puapo had assumed personal custody of Leo Piadozo.
For his part, P/CI Puapo claimed
that the transfer of Leo Piadozo to Angat without court clearance
was justified because of her “full responsibility” to protect
the life of Piadozo.
Accordingly, the Court cited P/CI
Puapo in contempt and fined her the amount of P10,000. She was also
directed “to transfer the custody of the accused to the Bulacan
Provincial Jail at Malolos City immediately to insure proper
safekeeping and custody of the accused.”
Since Piadozo was neither
detained in San Ildefonso (Bulacan) nor in Angat, Bulacan, P/CI
Puapo failed to comply with the court’s directive.
Consequently, she was cited for a
second contempt of court and sentenced to suffer a penalty of one
(1) month imprisonment. A warrant of arrest was issued against P/CI
Jacqueline Puapo for implementation by the Bulacan Provincial
Director, PNP. The Office of the Provincial Prosecutor was also
directed to conduct an investigation to determine the possible
“infidelity in the custody of prisoners,” a criminal offense
punishable under the provisions of the Revised Penal Code.
Further, the chief of Bulacan PNP
was directed “to arrest and take into custody PO1 Leonardo Piadozo
and transfer him to the Bulacan Provincial Jail immediately.”
Obet says Monching was on the
verge on exposing the grand conspiracy against him. He was about to
name the persons involved. With the discovery of the maneuverings
against him and the legal action he had taken, the conspirators knew
fully well that they could not send Monching to jail, says Obet.
They had no concrete evidence against him. In fact, there was no
case filed against Monching, except on television and newspapers.
Instead, he started to file appropriate charges against them.
But Monching’s murder
intervened.
Now, the alleged conspirators are
desperately trying to cover up the crime by muddling the issues.
First, they pointed to the NPA as the perpetrators. When nobody
believed that, they played up a “love triangle theory.” Then
finally, they announced that two (2) hold-up men whom the police
killed in their house in Bocaue, were the killers. 
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