NAGA CITY—The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) here said Wednesday that the Philippine National Police in Daet, Camarines Norte has filed murder charge against a suspected military asset who shot dead a Bayan Muna party-list leader on May 15 this year.

        Lawyer Arlene Q. Alangco, officer-in-charge of the CHR office in Naga, said the murder charge against certain Dante Arcega has been filed by P/Supt. Enrico Amor at the provincial prosecutor’s office last week following an investigation of the human rights office. He was the suspect in the killing of Jayson Delen, 28, the Bayan Muna party-list provincial coordinator, who was gunned down by motorbike-riding assailants several minutes after he left his house aboard a tricycle.



Sotero Llamas, 55, ex-rebel, was killed by motorbike-riding assailant last May 29. He took political science course at the Aquinas University in Legazpi City. TONY MACASINAG

        Alangco said the case was docketed as Information Sheet Number 2006-16792.

        Adrian Exequiel R. Santy, CHR special investigator, said he was able to talk to several persons and relatives of the victims and it came out that Arcega was identified as the one who barged into the rally last Dec. 10 during the Human Rights Day observance at the elevated plaza in Daet town.

        anty said the suspect was found and turned over to the police by Delen and several others after the rally marshals caught him with a gun as he mingled with the party-list group members during the rally.

        The investigator said he discovered that Arcega was never detained for violating a ban of carrying a gun in rally because he said the police told him that a military intelligence officer has picked him up to take custody.

        But he said that the police have no direct witness to identify Arcega because of fear of reprisal.

        Santy said that he learned from the relatives of Delen that the suspected gunman was the back-rider of a motorbike that followed the victim as he rode a tricycle going to the town center.

        He said the suspect and the driver of the motorbike lingered in front of the house of the victim. He added that Delen even noticed the suspicious persons and told his kin about them.

        Santy said that a taho vendor has confessed that he saw the two persons suspected of carrying out the shooting while they stalked the victim.

        But he said the police complained that Maricel Delen, wife of the victim who was present when the gunman stalked, seemed to be uncooperative with police investigators.

        Santy said that he has told Maricel to cooperate with the police to further shed light on the circumstances of the bloody incident.

        He said he has recommended financial assistance to the family and found that the human rights of the victim have been violated.