Bar blast suspect’s ‘brod’ to help prosecute him if evidence is strong

A day after a prime suspect in the September 26 Bar exam explosion was turned over to authorities, one of his fraternity brothers, former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III vowed to help prosecute him if the evidence is strong. Bello III said the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity will also advise its member, Anthony Leal Nepomuceno, to plead guilty if he is found liable for the explosion outside De La Salle University in Manila. “Kung may kasalanan siya, kung kasalanan niya, positibo, I myself will prosecute him (If the evidence shows he is responsible, I myself will prosecute him)," Bello said in an interview on dwIZ radio. “Kung makita namin malakas ebidensya sa brod we will advise our brod na justice must prevail in this case. Hindi komo brod namin siya kukunsintihin namin siya," he added. (If we see the evidence against our brod is strong, we will advise him that justice must prevail in this case. Just because he is a fraternity brother does not mean our brotherhood will condone him.) Nepomuceno, a call center agent, graduated from the Manuel L. Quezon University. He belongs to the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. The suspect is accused of being the one who lobbed the grenade during the traditional Salubong, wherein well-wishers, law students, and relatives greet Bar examinees after taking the test. More than 40 people were hurt in the incident, including San Sebastian College law student Raissa Laurel who lost her legs. Bello said, as of now, he is “morally convinced" that Nepomuceno is innocent. On Wednesday, Bello and Vice-President Jejomar Binay, also a member of the APO fraternity, accompanied Nepomuceno to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila to face investigators handling the September 26 Bar blast. Bello said charging his own fraternity “brods" is nothing new to him because he did it in the early 1990s after student Lenny Villa died of hazing. He said he was Secretary of Justice at the time, and charged his own “brods" from the Aquila Legis fraternity. “I charged all my brods, kaya nagtampo sa akin ang mga brod, noong 1992 election binoykot ako dahil sinampahan ko sila ng kasong homicide (I charged my fraternity brods then, so the fraternity got mad at me and boycotted me in the 1992 senatorial elections because I charged my brods with homicide)," he said. “There was evidence a crime was committed and probably brod ko may kagagawan. I had no choice but to file cases against them (There was evidence a crime was committed and that my brods were the likely perpetrators. I had no choice but to file cases against them)," he said. Legal advice Bello also said that while the APO is likely to provide Nepomuceno with defense lawyers, the fraternity will also “advise" him to plead guilty if the evidence is strong. “Pag lumapit sa iyo ang kliyente at sinabing inosente siya pagtatanggol kita. Pero pag dumating ang panahon na lumabas ang ebidensya mas mabigat at matibay ang ebidensya pagpapayuhin namin ang kliyente namin, partner, ikaw pala ay may kagagawan niyan mabuti mag-plead guilty ka na para mapagaan ang penalty mo," he said. (If a client comes to us and says he is innocent, we will defend him. But once the evidence indicates he is guilty, we will promptly advise him to plead guilty to at least lighten his penalty.) “We are not only brothers, we are also lawyers, we are ministers of the court to see to it justice is done," he added. Nepomuceno's claim As of now, Bello said they consider Nepomuceno innocent, based on his initial statements. Citing Nepomuceno’s version of what happened on September 26, he said Nepomuceno was at home in Marikina City at the time the incident occurred. “Malinis ang kanyang konsensya (His conscience is clean)," he said. Bello also said there is little chance Nepomuceno will flee the country while the investigation is ongoing, saying he comes from a poor family. “I don’t think he can afford to leave the country," he said, noting Nepomuceno’s mother is a public school teacher and his father is a pedicab driver. Frat wars Bello admitted the APO Fraternity has seen its members engage in rumbles with the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity but insisted they would not go so far as using explosives. The Manila police had initially said they were looking into the possibility of a fraternity war being behind the September 26 blast. “Ang alam ko na nakakasagupa o kung minsan nakakaaway nila ay yung Tau Gamma, Tau Gamma nakakaaway nila. Alam mo naman ang brod sa fraternity, minsan nangyayari yan sa kabataan pero alam ko di humahantong sa bombahan o barilan kundi rambulan. Ganyan ang frat wars, walang bombahan," he said. (From what I know, there have been clashes with the Tau Gamma fraternity, but these do not escalate to the use of firearms or explosives.) –VVP, GMANews.TV