Two former Bacolod police chiefs and a police asset have been included in charges for the kidnapping of former Pahanocoy barangay captain Eleuterio Salabas, his widow Elizabeth Salabas said yesterday.

Salabas said the resolution from the Department of Justice signed by First Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag on July 12 directed the filing of amended information, including former Bacolod police chiefs Vicente Ponteras and George Bajelot Jr., and Cecil Brillantes in the kidnapping raps pending before the Regional Trial Court of Guihulngan in Oriental Negros. She said the DOJ had sent her a copy of the resolution by mail.

But Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday said he was not aware of the resolution amending the information filed in court to include the three as he had not signed it.

Ponteras and Bajelot could not be reached for comment as of press time yesterday.

The inclusion of Ponteras and Bajelot brings to 12 the number of accused in the kidnapping of Eleuterio Salabas who was later found dead.

Other policemen named as respondents are Inspector Clarence Dongail, SPO2 Freddie Natividad, SPO4 Jimmy Fortaleza, PO1 Bernardo Cimatu, PO2 Allen Winston Hulleza, Inspector Jonathan Lorilla, Inspector Bonifer Gotas, SPO1 Nelson Grijaldo, PO2 Nelson Belandres and PO2 Ruel Villacanas.

In his affidavit, Brillantes said he used to be a police asset of Dongail and Fortaleza and in August 2003 he joined them in a meeting at the Bacolod City Police office where an operation against Salabas who was suspected to be involved in illegal drugs was discussed, Macauyag's resolution said.

After Salabas and his two companions were in the custody of Dongail, Brillantes said Bajelot and Ponteras called and congratulated them, he said.

He also claimed that after Salabas and his companions were tortured to disclose where they hide their drugs and drug money, they were killed.

Macauyag said Ponteras appeared during a preliminary investigation to submit his counter-affidavit, while Bajelot failed to appear despite several subpoenas sent to him.

Ponteras, in his counter-affidavit, denied the allegations of Brillantes saying he was not the Bacolod police chief at the time the incident happened.

He was the Negros Occidental police provincial director then, Ponteras said.

He said he had no knowledge whatsoever nor had he consented to the operation conducted against Salabas. Mrs. Salabas in her reply to the counter affidavit said Ponteras' denial is tantamount to the defense of alibi that is the weakest defense.

In his resolution, Macauyag said the affidavit of Birllantes is so detailed with events and persons who conspired and directly participated in the crime charge, there was no evidence to doubt his credibility.

He also noted that Bajelot did not even lift a finger to participate in the preliminary investigation considering the seriousness of the offense charged that could mean total submission to whatever accusation was made against him.

The conspiracy to abduct and finish off Salabas was established starting from the meeting held at the Bacolod police office presided over by Ponteras and Bajelot, Macauyag added.*CPG

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