Carjack witness unfazed by Bulacan jail bombing

After surviving a "bombing" attack at the Bulacan Provincial Jail last weekend, a witness in the murder of car dealer Venson Evangelista last January vowed Monday to push through with his intention to testify in the case. Witness Alfredo Mendiola said the attack at the Bulacan Provincial Jail where he is now detained has emboldened instead of intimidated him. "Lalong tumapang ang loob ko mag-testify (It only strengthened my resolve to testify)," Mendiola said in an interview on dzBB radio. He voiced suspicion the Dominguez brothers were behind the attack. "Wala nang ibang gagawa sa akin nyan kundi siguro ang magkakapatid. Sila lang ang may kakayahang gawin yan sa akin (No one else would do that to me except the brothers. They have the means to do it)," he said. "Marami silang tao sa labas at may pera sila (They have personnel and money for that)," he added. Explosion Last Saturday, an explosion rocked the jail after unidentified men hurled grenades and explosives at the cell where Mendiola was detained. Mendiola was not hurt, even as police look into the possibility he was the target of the attack. "Buhay pa kamo ako, tangke kamo ipadala (You can tell theem I'm still alive. And you can tell them to send a tank next time)," Mendiola said Sunday. Last weekend, Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said two unidentified suspects climbed the detention facility’s wall and dropped two hand grenades and two Molotov bombs near the cell of Mendiola. Recovered at the scene of the incident were one unexploded hand grenade, broken parts of two Molotov bombs, and a bamboo ladder, Cruz added. Earlier, Mendiola had linked brothers Roger and Raymond Dominguez to the abduction and murder of Evangelista, wo disappeared Jan. 13 in Quezon City during a test drive of a sport-utility vehicle he was selling. His brutalized and charred remains were found days later. The Dominguez brothers, who are currently under police custody, have been linked to other carjacking incidents. — RSJ, GMA News