A scrap of paper, says the ex-solon
TACLOBAN CITY—The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has sought the assistance of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a murder case against former congressman Vicente ‘Ching’ Veloso and several alleged accomplices in connection with the killing of a village leader in 2016.
However, Veloso dismissed the CIDG’s move, calling it a ‘mere piece of paper’ with no legal bearing and a mere ‘publicity stunt.’
On January 22, 2024, Lt. Col. Jessie Misal, deputy chief of the CIDG’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit, submitted a letter to Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla requesting his office to take ‘appropriate action’ against Veloso and five others for the murder of Anthony Nuñez. Nuñez, a village councilor of Manlawan, Tabango, Leyte, was gunned down inside a cockpit on January 23, 2016.
Also named as respondents were Nicolas Banez, William Languido, Richard Pernis, Edwin Comendador, and Edwin Mulles.
The CIDG’s case hinges on the alleged extrajudicial confessions of Pernis and Languido, who reportedly admitted their roles in the crime and identified Veloso as the mastermind.
The two claimed to admit the crime after they allegedly received threats to their lives and felt guilty on the killing of Nunez.
According to their confessions, Veloso allegedly orchestrated the murder of Nuñez, who was a political supporter of Veloso’s rival.
They claimed that Banez was the gunman, while they served as lookouts and getaway motorcycle drivers.
“The murder of Nuñez was politically motivated. Veloso, the mastermind, targeted Nuñez because of the latter’s support for his political rival,” the CIDG stated in its letter.
Veloso, a former Court of Appeals justice, was running for congressman in Leyte’s third district during the May 2016 elections, opposing then-reelectionist Andres Salvacion.
In a press conference Saturday, Jan.25, Veloso dismissed the CIDG’s allegations.
“I am a lawyer. Why would I resort to killings? I could have just filed cases against my enemies. This alleged recommendation by the CIDG is just a piece of paper, not a criminal complaint,” he said.
He further argued that under the Rules of Criminal Procedure, a complaint must be sufficient in both form and substance.
“Sufficiency must at least indicate the private complainant against the respondents who are warm bodies because the function of a preliminary investigation under the Rules of Criminal Procedure is to bring about the issuance of a warrant of arrest,” he explained.
Veloso noted that three of the named respondents—Banez, Comendador, and Mulles—have already died.
He also denied knowing the other respondents, asserting that at the time of the incident, he had just retired as a justice of the Court of Appeals and had no reason to hire individuals like Pernis and Languido.
Veloso also said that there is an affidavit executed by the brother of the slain village official saying his death was due to business rivalry and not due to politics.
“This is just to generate publicity and nothing more. But I assure the people of the 4th district that this will not affect my candidacy as a congressman. My name is still on the official list,” he said.
For the May, 2025 elections, Veloso will be running for congressman in Leyte’s fourth district, challenging incumbent Representative Richard Gomez.
JOEY A. GABIETA
