Magpale testifies against ‘cult leader’
VICE Gov. Agnes Magpale took the witness stand yesterday against the bail application of alleged cult leader Casiano Apduhan, whom followers call “Dios Amahan.”
Magpale testified that the couple Eleuterio and Remegia Repuela approached her, as co-chairperson of the Provincial Women’s Commission and the Provincial Council for the Welfare of the Children, about the death of their son Angelo, 14, allegedly in the hands of Apduhan.
But defense lawyer Paulino Labrado was quick to point out that based on the letter Magpale wrote to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7, there was no mention of Angelo’s death.
“I didn’t mention it in the letter because I have to be cautious because I wasn’t there (when Angelo was allegedly killed). But they (Repuelas) talked to me. They said they were convinced to join the cult in 2012 because they were told that the world would end in 2013,” said Magpale.
The vice governor also said that the Repuelas shared with her that Angelo was chosen as an offering in the cult ritual.
Apduhan and cohort Zacarias Barquio had a busy day yesterday.
They appeared before Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 59 Judge Hermes Montero in the morning for their bail application hearing for two cases—serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms.
In the afternoon, they had another bail application hearing before RTC Branch 29 Judge Ruben Altubar for the murder and human trafficking cases filed against them.
Barquio was also arraigned in both cases. A third accused, Victor Fajardo, is still at large. In the serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms cases, the prosecution presented its fifth witness, Hedda Largo, gender and development consultant of the Capitol.
The cases were filed following the raid in Apduhan’s house last March where Emma Bocabal Nepomuceno was purportedly rescued after being detained for five years.
But Nepomuceno denied she was held against her will.
She was at the bail application hearing yesterday to support Apduhan.
In the murder and human trafficking cases, Labrado tried to trick Remegia, who was the prosecution’s second witness for the day, against Apduhan’s bail application.
Labrado gave Remegia a document and asked if it was her judicial affidavit but Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Reynaldo Menchavez Jr. was quick to notice and objected to the ploy for being “misleading.”
Labrado explained that he was trying to “destroy the credibility” of Remegia, who can neither read nor write.
This, following the prosecution’s presentation of Remegia’s affidavit and sup- plemental affidavit, which the witness identified, despite her admission that she cannot read or write.
It was later clarified by the prosecution that Remegia was assisted by the staff of the Office of the Vice Governor when the affidavits were executed.
Labrado also noted in court that the supplemental affidavit was only executed last Tuesday or 11 months after the first affidavit was signed.
One by one, Labrado confronted Remegia with new information contained in the supplemental affidavit.
Among the new information is that Remegia saw Angelo shortly before his death sometime in Nov. 2012. Angelo was sitting in the living room, weak and crying.
Remegia also stated in the supplemental affidavit that while Angelo was unable to speak, he made a gesture that he had been punched.
Remegia and Eleuterio lived in a house owned by Apduhan separate from the villa, also owned by Apduhan, where Angelo stayed. The so-called villa was the same house raided by the NBI 7 in March last year where Angelo’s remains were also found.
Menchavez wants to present one more witness from the NBI 7 and asked for a court-mandated ocular inspection in Apduhan’s house.
But Labrado reminded the prosecutor that a bail hearing is supposed to be summary in nature and an ocular inspection will only delay the resolution of the application for bail.
Altubar agreed with Labrado about a bail hearing being summary in nature. The parties agreed that the last prosecution witness will be presented next month.