Dec. 13, 1997, 19 years ago, gunmen went to a house in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. There was a birthday party being celebrated when they opened fire on Michael and Paul Quintos.
The Quintos brothers were the sons of a local official named Ricardo Quintos. The elder Quintos tagged a political rival who was Congressman at that time of the province. Rep. Jose Villarosa.
Those who were involved in the killings were known as the Mamburao 6. They were Eduardo Hermoso, Josue Ungsod, Manolito Matricio, Mario Tobias, Ruben Balaguer and Gelito Bautista.
In March 2006, then former Rep. Jose Villarosa together with the Mamburao 6 were sentenced to death by Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao of RTC Branch 81. It was 8 years after the death of the Quintos brothers.
But it did not end there, in March 2008, the Court of Appeals acquitted Jose Villarosa (his wife was the current Congresswoman of the province) citing that the verdict was based on flimsy witnessing by one of the group who served as lookout.
The appellate court’s fifth division, in a decision penned by Justice Noel Tijam dated March 18, ordered the release of Villarosa and “Mamburao 6” farmers Balaguer, Bautista and Tobias. The other members of the fifth division were Martin Villarama and Sesinando Villon.
In November 2008, the Quintos family asked the Supreme Court to reverse Villarosa’s acquittal, saying the appellate court committed an abuse of discretion.
Meanwhile, Villarosa filed criminal and administrative charges against Quezon City judge Yadao in September 2008, accusing her of wrongfully convicting him of the murder.
In October 2009, a resolution by state prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera cleared Yadao of the charges, but in a subsequent directive issued in March 2010, former Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera ordered charges to be filed against Yadao, citing “gross errors” in her decision and reversing Navera’s earlier resolution.
In May 2012, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima cleared Yadao of the charges, saying she was denied due process when Devanadera directed her indictment.
In November 2011, Villarosa said the Quintos’ filings were a form of “harassment.”
Thus, the case is still pending in the Supreme Court. It has been 19 years since the killings occurred.
