MANILA, Philippines—Janelle Manahan visited the grave of her slain boyfriend, Ramgen Revilla, for the first time Saturday since the tragic incident that separated them October 28.
“I feel that he is closer because he is just here,” she said to reporters after spending several minutes alone at the grave of her beloved.
Janelle’s private legal counsel, Argee Guevarra, said that she had wanted to visit Ramgen since she got out of the hospital. However, Janelle’s mother was able to convince her to finish her rehabilitation and therapy and to regain her strength first, Guevarra said.
She visited Ramgen’s grave in the Angelus Eternal Garden in Imus, Cavite Saturday afternoon with her mother and her lawyers Guevarra and Resty Mendoza.
Guevarra said that they intend to start their case again from scratch due to the “mysterious, anomalous” inhibition of Parañaque City Assistant Prosecutor Leah Roma, who is handling the case of Janelle, Friday of last week.
“We were astonished as to why fiscal Leah Roma inhibited,” he said. She cited “no reason whatsoever for her inhibition,” and refused to furnish them a written copy of her inhibition, Guevarra said.
He added that she resolved the motion to inhibit filed by the legal counsel of Hero Furuyama, husband of Gail Bautista and both co-accused in the murder case, in record two days time.
Guevarra cited the Paranaque City Police for cracking the case but there have also been major lapses in the handling of evidence, such as the failure of the police to open the room of Ramon Joseph “RJ” Revilla, brother of Ramgen and alleged mastermind of the murder plot, Guevarra said.
RJ was very anxious and shaking when police came and asked that he open his locked room, Guevarra said. A number of Ramgen’s personal belongings, including his laptop, were believed to be in the room, but RJ refused to provide the keys to the police, Guevarra said.
Guevarra added that they also “feel the evidence is so strong” against Ramona Bautista, younger sister of Ramgen and also suspected of planning the murder, who managed to fly to Turkey.
The evidence is “enough to come up with probable cause,” Guevarra said.
In order to help them start from scratch, Guevarra said that they have asked the Department of Justice to create a task force to conduct preliminary investigations to help them build their case.