THREE men have been given double life sentence by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for involvement in a bus robbery-hostage taking incident along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Balintawak eight years ago.
In a 16-page order, Branch 215 Acting Judge Wilfredo Maynigo said Jojo Bacyaan, then 35; Ronnie Fernandez, and Ryan Guevarra were found guilty beyond reasonable in the killing of bus driver Lauro Santos and Renato James Veloso, Quezon National High School director, and robbing them and the other bus passengers on May 31, 2007.
Maynigo ordered the three men to indemnify the relatives of Santos and Veloso, director of the Quezon National High School at least P75,000 in civil damage, P50,836 in actual damage, P50,000 in moral damage, P30,000 in exemplary damage and the cost of litigation.
Bacyaan, Fernandez and Guevarra were sentenced to life imprisonment for robbery with homicide, and another life sentence for serious illegal detention “without mitigating but aggravated by the use of unlicensed firearm.”
Assistant City Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr., Branch 215 trial prosecutor, said Bacyaan and Fernandez were immediately ordered transferred from Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City to the National Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
On the other hand, Guevarra is already imprisoned at NBP for his participation in the slaying of Makati City Supt. Jovem Bocalbos, who was then moonlighting as a public utility vehicle driver on May 24, 2007, and the robbery of Bocalbos’ 13 passengers in Taguig City.
A JMK bus driven by Santos was cruising Edsa-Balintawak when Bacyaan, Fernandez and Guevarra boarded, announced a hold-up and took away the cell phone units and other valuables of all the bus passengers.
Bacyaan, Fernandez and Guevarra shot and killed Santos and Veloso, who tried to resist the robbery, court records showed.
Responding policemen gave chase, but the three men boarded a Mitsubishi van in the area and held the passengers hostage.
The Quezon City Police District said the three appeared to be high on drugs upon their arrest.