Former Presidential Security Group chief in custody of the Philippine Army after being charged as mastermind in the murder of model Yvonnette Chua-Plaza.

RAPPLER

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Army (PA) has taken custody of former Presidential Security Group chief Brigadier General Jesus Durante, the alleged mastermind in the murder of Davao-based businesswoman-model Yvonette Chua Plaza. 

Army chief Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed this in an interview with DZBB on Thursday, January 26, a day after announcing that Durante had been relieved of his post as 1001st Brigade commander. 

“We do not tolerate these wrongdoings. Whatever the rank, pare-pareho ang treatment natin (we will give the same treatment),” Brawner said. 

Davao police had earlier linked Durante and seven other individuals, including six army officers, in the killing of Plaza, calling her murder a “crime of passion.” An investigation conducted by local police showed Plaza allegedly had sensitive information against Durante, and had supposedly planned to use it to blackmail the Army general.

Brawner said Durante was relieved of his post to ensure impartal investigations into Plaza’s murder. 

Along with Durante, Brawner said the army also had custody of Colonel Michael Licyayo, who Davao police tagged as an accomplice of Durante. Other army personnel, he added, were under the custody of the Philippine National Police, though the final arrangement in relationto custody was still under discussion with the PNP. 

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General who led Duterte’s security detail sacked over links to murder case

 MANILA – The Philippine military said on Wednesday it has sacked a prominent army general after police named him as the “mastermind” behind the murder of a model he was said to be intimate with.

Brigadier-General Jesus Durante, who headed the security detail of Mr Rodrigo Duterte when he served as Philippine president, ordered the killing of Ms Yvonne Chua Plaza, 38, outside her apartment in December in the southern city of Davao, according to investigators.

Durante was sacked as commander of the 101st Brigade after he was named as a person of interest in Ms Plaza’s murder, Philippine army chief Lieutenant-General Romeo Brawner said.

The victim had “very sensitive information against General Durante and she proceeded to blackmail the respondent”, regional police chief Brigadier-General Benjamin Silo told a news conference.

Before she was killed, Ms Plaza had posted on Facebook photos of her with bruises on her face, and accused Durante as the one who hurt her.

The army vowed to carry out an investigation.

Police said they asked state prosecutors to file criminal charges of murder and obstruction of justice against Durante, the deputy commander of the 101st Brigade, and a sergeant in the same unit..

They also recommended the filing of murder, theft and other charges against several other suspects, including four other soldiers in Durante’s military unit, which is based in the southern Philippines.

An eyewitness to the shooting identified the gunman and the driver of a motorcycle used by the killer, a police statement said.

The suspects, who have since been arrested, turned over the handgun used in the shooting and gave testimony implicating Durante in the murder, the statement added. AFP