ShareThisMAKATI CITY – Actress Janelle Manahan has left the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City and vowed to seek justice for her slain boyfriend, actor Ram Revilla (real name Ramgen Jose Bautista).
Earlier, a new witness tagged three Bautista siblings as the mastermind in the killing of Ramgen, confirming the statements of other witnesses. Quarrels over money, car, alleged excessive spending by their mother and others appeared to have led to the killing.
Manahan, who was shot in the face before Ramgen was killed revealed in a television interview that Ramgen could have been saved had her sister Ramona Bautista helped in getting doctors and ambulance. She said she was surprised why Ramona and their siblings did not get help and Ramona instead fled from their Paranaque City house where the killing took place.
“Simula pa lamang ito ng aking paglalakbay patungo sa katotohanan at hustisya sa pagkamatay ni Ramgen (This is just the start of my journey toward finding the truth and justice for Ramgen’s death),” Manahan said in a handwritten letter read by her lawyer.
Manahan said she believes her being with Ramgen at the time of the murder was more than a mere coincidence, even as she vowed justice for the actor.
“Alam ko at naniniwala ako na ang lahat ng nangyari sa buhay natin ay may dahilan. Kung bakit ako naroon ng mga oras na iyan at nabuhay (I know and I believe that everything happens for a reason. Why I was there at the time and lived),” read Manahan’s letter.
“Nangako ako sa kanya na hindi (ako) titigil hanggat hindi kakamit ang hustisyang nararapat para sa kanya (I promised him I will not stop until he gets justice),” she added.
She said she will be testifying in court during the trial of the case.
Manahan is expected to face investigating prosecutor Leah Roma in Parañaque City to submit her counter-reply to Ramona’s affidavit. She was also seeking that she be placed under the Witness Protection Program of the DoJ.
Aside from Ramona, who has fled to Turkey, also tagged in the murder are Ramon Joseph or RJ, who is in jail, and Gail, another sister.
The new witness, identified by police as Sheridan “Don-Don” Embat, is a friend and fraternity mate of Ryan Pastera, alias Bryan, another suspect who is still at large.
Pastera allegedly told Embat about the plot to kill Ramgen on September 26 during Embat’s birthday celebration.
Pastera asked Embat if he knew a hitman who could do the job. “He said that someone ordered me to have the target killed because that person has a bad attitude and assaults people when he is drunk,” Embat said.
Thinking that Pastera was joking, Embat gave Roy Francis Tolisora’s number to Embat. Tolisora is in police custody as a suspect.
Ramgen was killed on October 28 in his house in BF Homes, Parañaque.
On the night of October 2, Pastera went to Embat’s house and persuaded him to meet up with Tolisora and give him P50,000 as initial payment. The payment was to be used to buy a gun and a motorbike for the assassins.
Embat said that the Baustista siblings had said they were to pay P800,000 to P1 million for the job.