Bar blast suspect shows up at DOJ hearing

(Updated 4:18 p.m.) For the first time, Alpha Phi Omega member Anthony Nepomuceno attended on Monday a Department of Justice (DOJ) hearing on his alleged involvement in the September 2010 explosion after the Bar examinations in Manila. Nepomuceno, who was accompanied by his lawyers, submitted his counter-affidavit to deny lobbing the grenade during the traditional revelries after the Bar exams last Sept. 26, 2010 outside the De La Salle University campus. More than 40 people were hurt in the incident. Nepomuceno is facing charges of multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder. The charges were lodged by the National Bureau of Investigation and other private complainants. In his counter-affidavit, Nepomuceno said he was in his home in Marikina City when the incident occurred. He added that on Sept. 27, he even reported for work where he received a commendation from his office for exemplary performance. "Such an offense filed against me is a very grave one and I could never have committed it," said Nepomuceno. He added that the NBI's witness had claimed that right after the explosion, the grenade thrower fled the scene but was beaten up by other witnesses. The witness supposedly said Nepomuceno suffered contusions in his face after he was beaten up. But Nepomuceno retorted: "Quite contrarily, I did not have any injury or contusion at any time during the material dates. Indeed, if I were the bomb thrower, I could not, under the circumstances, have reported for work the following day. In fact, I continued working at my office up to 19 October 2010." Facebook account He likewise said the NBI's cartographic sketch presented to the media was supposedly tainted because it was merely copied from photos posted on his Facebook account. "The NBI in fact got a picture of myself from my Facebook account which served as their basis of identifying me and to come up with my cartographic sketch. Why prepare my cartographic sketch when they already had my picture downloaded from my Facebook account?" he asked. "This fact is rather disturbing, for it suggests that the story advanced by the NBI and their alleged witness is nothing more but a product of plain concoction for the convenience showing that the assailant is now brought to justice," Nepomuceno continued. He then asked the DOJ fact-finding panel to dismiss the criminal complaint the NBI lodged against him. "I therefore move that the cases filed against me be perfunctorily dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence in law and in fact to support the finding that there exists a probable cause to indict me for the crime being charged against me," Nepomuceno said. An emotional Nepomuceno Prosecution attorney Gerald Gaerlan is handling the preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint filed against Nepomuceno. The purpose of a preliminary investigation is whether there is probable cause to charge the suspect with the crime lodged against him by the complainants. Former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., lawyer for blast victim Raissa Laurel who lost both of her legs, was also present during the hearing. During the hearing, Nepomuceno's lawyers, Jeffrey Zarate, Hilda Clave, and Chato Marinas, presented other witnesses who executed their affidavits. One of the witnesses was Nepomuceno's mother, Maria Luisa Nepomuceno. When his mother was attesting to the veracity of her affidavit, Nepomuceno broke into tears. He later told reporters that he became emotional because he felt that as an innocent man, he should not be facing a DOJ investigation. "I am also a victim here. I was thinking, "Why am I here? Why are we here?" said Nepomuceno. — VVP/RSJ, GMANews.TV