By Lane Afable, News Editor
The prosecution has successfully secured a landmark conviction against the perpetrators responsible for the 2013 kidnapping and senseless killing of businessman Jose Saribong.
In a comprehensive 39-page decision dated 16 April 2026, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 138 of Antipolo City found the accused—Mark Stanly Banghulot y Subejano, Romeo Baluran, Rudy Benega, Teody Maghuyop, and Adam Paulin—guilty beyond reasonable doubt of Kidnapping for Ransom with Homicide under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.
The court sentenced all the accused to suffer the imprisonment penalty of reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole. In addition, they are ordered to pay jointly and severally, the heirs of Jose Saribong the amount of P100,000.00 as civil indemnity and P890,000.00 as actual damages.
The case, which involved the violent abduction of Mr. Saribong at the gates of Golden Meadows Subdivision and the cold-blooded murder of his driver, Jimmy Palermo, was marked by the ruthless demand for a P40 million ransom. Despite the family’s efforts to comply by paying a portion of the demand, the kidnappers executed Mr. Saribong after eight days of illegal detention.
The successful resolution of this case is a testament to the meticulous and relentless work of Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas in building an airtight case that left no room for doubt.
This conviction serves as a stern warning to criminal elements who believe they can outrun the law. The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its mandate to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no offender regardless of how long they remain at large or how complex their crimes, is beyond the reach of justice.
