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PEOPLE Vs. Benjamin De La Cruz, Et Al

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. BENJAMIN DE LA CRUZ, FREDDIE SOMBREA alias FEDERICO SOMBREA, NARCISO EDIO, GUILLERMO LAPORGA, JOSE BLANZA and EDUARDO PALMARES alias EDDIE PALMARES, accused-appellants.

G.R. Nos. 101000-01 | 1993-10-18

D E C I S I O N


CRUZ, J.:

Two men lay dead on a hilltop in Barangay Tahing, Calinog, Iloilo. One had two bullet wounds in his head, with points of entry at the nape. The other had been stabbed and shot in the abdomen and had another bullet wound in the head. Their names were John Castro and Roman Catedrilla.

The killers said the victims had been slain during a "shooting encounter" in the course of a "preventive patrol" against criminal elements, including members of the NPA. The PC Provincial Commander of Iloilo officially commended them. 1 However, the National Bureau of Investigation conducted its own investigation and came to a...