BY FRANCHESCA JIMENEZ
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) commander Rolando Olalia and his driver Leonor Alay-ay were discovered dead in Antipolo, Rizal, on November 13, 1986. Their bodies had been damaged to the point of being unrecognizable. Olalia's lone identifying mark was a scar on his leg, which established his identification.
The ruse became known as "God Save the Queen," a RAM-led plot to assassinate government leftists. RAM, which Kapunanco founded, aimed to overthrow Corazon Aquino's presidency on the grounds that it was run by communists.
They face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison (reclusion perpetua) and must pay a total of P2.1 million in civil compensation and damages to Olalia and Alay-ay .One is being held in Rizal, while the other is being held in Cainta and the third is being held in Antipolo. In May 1998, a five-man DOJ panel filed two different murder suits in the Antipolo Regional Trial Court against 13 RAM members.
Numerous military men who knew about the murders were ordered assassinated or suddenly died in recent years, according to Barreto.
Several parties have asked the Justice Department to investigate Sen. Gregorio Honasan, a RAM leader at the time of the murders for alleged involvement. M/Sgt. Felizardo Cabanilla, the then Ministry of National Defense's transport officer, bragged to Barreto that Honasan had personally instructed him to "cleanup" the mess left behind by the vehicle used to trail Olalia's car.
After a witness detailed the planning and surveillance prior to the kidnapping of Olalia and Alay-ay in November 1986, the court concluded that there was clear premeditation.
While the Antipolo Court's judgment provides solace, the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) claimed they still have a "tinge of dissatisfaction" because just three of the defendants have been convicted, Edre Olalia stated the following. At a news conference, Teddy Casio of BAYAN expressed the same opinion, saying, "While this victory is welcome, it is too little, too late. "He referred to the outcome as a "half victory." The three men convicted, according to Casio and Kilusang Mayo Uno commander Elmer "Bong" Labog, are simply foot troops.
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